07 August 2009

Friday Follies...
Dad always said "If it's not ONE damn thing...it's ANOTHER", and some days I swear I can STILL hear him standing next to me saying that. And I'm glad he did.
-- Ok, so we now have our first Hispanic Supreme Court justice...let's hope she acts according to the LAW, and not anything else, hmm?
-- And the Cash for Clunkers (aka the Voluntary Repossession Scam) program has received ANOTHER TWO BILLION BUCKS to keep it "on the road" for the time being...(I keep hearing that little voice crying "suckers").
--The season premiere of POLICE WOMEN OF BROWARD COUNTY was on TLC last night (9PM EST), and I really like this show. The ladies can do the "cuff n stuff" REAL well, and as I like to say...NEVER underestimate the STATURE of an individual (when it comes to a takedown).
You have got to check this out, but be advised...the perps might resemble your neighbors (if you live in an area like MINE, anyway...LOL).
-- And if you're anywhere NEAR being a "Conservative" in our nation THESE days...you just might be an extremist. At least that's the way the MSM wants to PAINT you.
Gee, whatever happened to all this FIRST AMENDMENT stuff I learned about in school?
Seems back in the 70s, when ALL these HIPPIES were protesting the Vietnam war (and changing America's mind in the process, according to the writings of Sun Tzu) fomenting dissent in our nation, THEY were allowed to carry on, and the media was basically on their side.
But...when anyone from the "right" side of the fence decides something in government is amiss, or needs further scrutiny, they're all labelled "radicals"...(WTF?)
Last time I checked, a RADICAL was something akin to those jack-booted THUGS that were intimidating voters in Philly, using the guise of the New Black Panther Movement (which HAS already been called a RACIST group by the DoJ).
The MSM needs to cover this FAIRLY, and back the hell off. These town hall meetings include constituents of BOTH major political parties (and some with mainly DEMOCRATS) anyway, so it's not a "democrat" of "republican" things any longer.
I think all these politicians need to back the hell UP, spend some time in some BOOKS with their pudgy little primate faces READING the U. S. Constitution (which they swore an OATH to uphold and defend), listen to the PEOPLE (who voted them in...and can vote them the hell out JUST as quickly), and SHUT THE F$CK UP...PERIOD!
-- Now...if you live in Fort Wayne, you might have caught the story about Mayor Tom Henry's appointment of Vince Robinson to the city's PIO position. This should come as no surprise, because under Graham Richards' "reign", Robinson held the SAME job. And he did it damn well!
Now, Vince is one of those people that comes with some good credentials in his hip pocket. He's got former EXPERIENCE doing the job, and is currently Editor-in-Chief of the city's INK newspaper for the black community.
He even hosted the city's cable access shows years ago.
So, it would appear that Vince Robinson has what it takes to add diversity to the city AND do a commendable job as PIO...
BUT...
That's just NOT quite enough for one of our city councilmen, namely one GLYNN HINES (6th district - S/E side).
Mr. Hines is still under the delusion that AFFIRMATIVE ACTION is sorely needed everywhere...
Sorry to burst that bubble, Glynn, but if I go to a doctor for some sort of specialized surgery, I damn sure better have the PERSON BEST QUALIFIED, instead of a person who got the job because of a damn QUOTA system!
Hines would be better suited to travel MORE of his own people's neighborhoods in his district, look at all the squallor (by choice), the drugs, illegal guns, gangstas, saggy pants, non-working black males, and equally welfare-driven black females, and THEN tell me that THESE PEOPLE are every bit AS QUALIFIED as Mr. Robinson.
That dog just ain't gonna hunt for ME, Glynn!
I live surrounded BY "your people", and I see every damn day the type of behavior they display, and it's not something YOU, as a "leader" of the black community should be anywhere close to being PROUD of.
You SHOULD be doing something to CHANGE this mess called the S/E side (which is not spilling over into the south WEST side).
You should STOP crying "race" every damn time someone is put in any position in any department WHEN they are the BEST QUALIFIED. What part of that word "QUALIFIED" are you having trouble with, sir?
Take a damn look around your district at all this "so-called" poverty. Count up ALL the NEW vehicles owned by NON-WORKING people. Look at all the rentals owned by deadbeat landlords that HOUSE your people (thanks to section 8 and HUD housing) and how they've deteriorated, and tell me WHY none of "your" people can lift a damn paintbrush, or push a freaking lawnmower to cut the damn grass that's been cited by NCE for the umpteenth time.
Show to me that "your" people are NOT the lazy-asses I've come to know and have move all around me. Show me THEY are every bit AS WORTHY to have the same access to a $65K a year job (or ANY real job for that matter), when they can't get their sorry asses OUT OF BED until 11 AM.
Prove to me that "your" people are not motivated ONLY by entertainment, greed, and crime in these areas, when you know that to already BE THE TRUTH.
If you WANT rampant "diversity" (for diversity's sake)...I have one word for you...DETROIT.
That didn't pan out all that well for THAT city, did it?
Yeah, some people LOVE to play that "race card", don't they?
Well, maybe it's time for THAT "financial institution" those cards are issued from, to stop handing out ALL those "cards", because the REST of us can't afford that "interest rate".
In fact, we don't want anything to do with it.
It's YOUR mess...YOU created it...YOUR people can clean it the hell up.
Time to "man up" and get busy making REAL change, instead of waiting for another handout.
You know...someday, I'll have to say what I REALLY feel about this crap...LOL.
Gee...it's not as though other people see this going on. We do, and maybe, between THIS (in our cities across the nation), and all the garbage the Federal government is trying to force feed us in the name of "change" (into a *1984* state-run behemoth), it's a wonder ANY of us normal people have ANY shred of sanity left.
We're all being pulled in SO many directions today...being told SO many things...and having SO many programs thrown at us in such a short time, we barely HAVE any time to ourselves, let alone time to disseminate and digest ALL this information.
Is it by chance...or by design?
Well, every one of YOU have to make that call for yourselves.
I can only speak from what I know, what I learn, and what I believe.
Suffice it to say that we ARE living in times one could call "Historic" for MANY reasons.
Let us hope we can properly relate and preserve to these times, so that our future may learn from them.
So, have yourselves a great weekend, and...
Stay safe out there, America.

06 August 2009

Another Day, Another Dollar...
Welcome to the anniversary of the dropping of the first Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, back in 1945.
I had to begin with that, because the song "You dropped a bomb on me" starts playing in my head whenever I hear about another wasteful government program.
I'm sure you're like most people when it comes to waste, right?
You don't waste things such as food, utilities, and your time.
I mean who, in their right mind turns on the faucet, and then goes out to run some errands?
(aside from possibly some of my "sub-cultured neighbors")
And unless you're a rotten cook (or really despised that take out) you usually don't go tossing dinner in the garbage.
Well, there ARE people that do just that.
Trouble is, they do it SO DAMN WELL.
(Just look around ANY blighted section of ANY city...look at all the trash, and I don't mean those with TWO LEGS)
Be nice to harness that wasteful behavior and put it to good PRODUCTIVE use.
Imagine the feats this nation could pull off IF that were the case.
Every day, many of you out there head off to your place of employment for the sole purpose of making your financial ends meet. And wasting that money is NOT on your short list. You've got scads of things that hard-earned money can be used for, and NONE of them have the word "waste" in it, right?
Today's world is a far cry from that of decades past, especially when it comes to wasting things.
Now, we DID go through a time in the 60s and 70s when we were told to not toss trash along the highways (remember the commercial with the American Indian crying when a bag of crap was tossed at his feet?), and our parents ALWAYS reminded us to finish our dinner (even the veggies) because "There are children starving in Africa that would LOVE to eat as well as you do".
So...what happened to all that anyway?
Here we are, almost ten years into the 21st century, and we're either right back where we started...or worse off.
And leading this cavalcade of moronic behavior is none other than our very own FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
But you know what the WORSE aspect of all this is?
The FEDS are talking out of BOTH sides of their damn mouths.
On the ONE hand, they say we "need" to "green up" the Earth...ASAP, and they've got tons of notions they want implemented.
Now I deal with RESPECTING the EARTH. After all, this planet is allowing us all to LIVE here, isn't it?
But there is a point at which even I will draw that line in the sand.
On the OTHER hand, the FEDS are WASTING TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS on useless projects, ideas, and programs designed only for ONE thing...CONTROL.
Somehow, the government doesn't want all this "free thinking" around.
Excuse me, but didn't all that "free thinking" lead to breakthroughs in the realms of SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, along with leaps in the technological arena. I mean...It thought that's what EVOLUTION was supposed to be all about. We are supposed to be MOVING...F O R W A R D.
You'd never know it, though.
For some strange reason, the government "feels" that none of us are no longer to do anything for ourselves.
Now while that works damn well for a LOT of people living in MY neighborhood (thanks to entitlements and freebie programs), it doesn't sit all that well with the MAJORITY of the populace.
Being an American MEANS we enjoy FREEDOM, and not as it's doled out by ANY government.
Every one of us is FREE...to SUCCEED...OR FAIL.
If we become "too free" and hurt others along the way...well, that's why we elect people to enact LAWS to keep that FROM happening.
We are free to speak our minds, as long as we speak from FACT, and not from fiction or to be injurious.
We are free to THINK for ourselves.
We are free to BELIEVE in whatever "higher being" exists.
We are free to PROGRESS, as a people.
Trouble is, that progress is coming with an ever-increasing price tag these days.
And we have the government to thank for it.
We have allowed the (civil) SERVANTS to take over the manor and the estate, while "we" wind up caring for the property.
Gee, that doesn't appear quite right, does it?
How many business owners go and TURN THE COMPANY over to the workers on the floor, anyway?
(I would wager not all that many)
Many of us feel that the LAST thing we need is more government INTRUSION in our lives. Our dear "Uncle Sam" is already in our pockets more than that mooching cousin that won't go away, and that's not including all the other "uncles" we have at various other levels of government wanting to avail themselves of that "hard-earned" money I spoke of earlier.
I wish the future were so bright, I'd have to wear shades, but I'm just not seeing that happen...not for the immediate future,anyway.
What I can see is something like what used to be in the series MAX HEADROOM...with the "corporate wars", with "government" being only the CEOs of big business, while the people are living in non-functioning minivans, huddled beside burning piles of refuse..watching TVs, dying to be nothing more than ENTERTAINED!!!
Or perhaps the vision of BLADE RUNNER might work for you. This is a world where it's practically always raining, thanks to everyone in big business screwing up the atmosphere, with the "elite" living above the mess, while the rest of us, crowded like sardines in a can wander about darkened streets. In BOTH scenarios, "big government" is never really mentioned...it's all about big BUSINESS, instead.
Even in ROBOCOP, we see everything owned and run by the big, bad OCP in "new" Detroit (where things aren't a helluva lot better in their future than today).
Personally, I was never one for anarchy, which is only one step BENEATH democracy (according to Plato).
It's too easy to slip into that mindset.
I much prefer working through a problem, rather than devolving into animalistic tendencies, torn from the pages of Lord of the Flies!
Right now, however, we've got too many problems on our collective plates that need looking at.
Cash for Clunkers is NOT one of them...and neither is (socialized) Health Care.
Granted, we DO need OVERSIGHT in the Health Care field, but TOTAL CONTROL is not oversight (which is he REAL job of the FEDS).
Ditto for the car companies.
In the end, it does all come down to WASTE.
Wasting money (we, as a nation, really don't have), wasting resources such as food and water, or wasting time deciding what to DO about all this...is NOT the answer, and the manner in which the government is seeking to remedy these issues is not the answer, either.
It begins in the home...OUR home...YOUR home.
Today can be the start of that change. Or a conviction to continue it.
Or, it can be JUST another day...with you making another dollar.
Just don't WASTE that dollar...you might need it soon enough.
Stay safe out there, America.

05 August 2009

Humpday Happenings...
Well, if it's not Billy Clinton "ridin' to the rescue" of two journalists in N. Korea, it's a growing list of governmental "czars", many of which have communist tendencies.
Helluva way to reach mid-week, isn't it?
Still, take heart, friends...relief is on the way.
Pull up the chair, grab another cup of coffee, hit the "slow scroll button" and allow me to "enlighten" you with snappy repartee`, guaranteed to make you say to your monitor: "I was just thinking about that".
** Okay, once again, in "my" adopted city of Fort Wayne, we see more evidence of GOVERNMENT WASTE.
The project to WIDEN Calhoun Street preliminarily passed City Council like crap through a goose with a 5-2 vote (two members of council were absent).
How convenient.
Here's the link relating to the article:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20090805/LOCAL/308059979/1002/LOCAL# First, the city does every damn thing it can to "redevelop" the downtown area, but that's not enough. Now they want to basically trash TWO BLOCKS to make it a 2-way street...nice.
There is a level of ambiance there that is rarely found in most ANY downtown area, and we SHOULD be happy for that.
but, I suppose it's MUCH better to SQUANDER a MILLION bucks on this change, rather than REPAIR city streets that really NEED IT, right?
The word "boondoggle" come to mind...and that happens a lot when I think of City Council these days.
** Our natural gas bills might be DROPPING, but gasoline prices are RISING once again.
It seems to happen EVERY damn time Wall St. has a GOOD day, doesn't it.
** Cash For Clunkers rides merrily along...
The government in it's "infinite wisdom" (ROFLMAO)...excuse me for a moment....there, that's better, is going to toss another TWO BILLION (with a *B*, and that rhymes with *P*, and that stands for PUTZ) to keep the program alive. This is after the ONE BILLION was eaten up by scores of people wanting to get those new cars with "better" mileage (yeah, about 3-5 miles MORE per gallon...WOW...helluva savings, chumps).
Hell, why not have the "Clunker Nazis" just go door-to-door, snatch up the keys and titles and just disappear into the morning mist, for God's sake? I wonder if the government will institute a "CASH for CONS" program...that way, I could TURN IN about 50% of the people in MY neighborhood, take the money and buy a BETTER house AWAY from all these idiots...now THAT I could work with.
This VRS program (Voluntary Repossession Scam) will no doubt continue until AS MANY people as possible have these cars that, in less than a decade will be supplanted with some NEWER technology...
Enjoy the ride...(and that fat coupon book, suckers).
** The housing market needs a "crash cart".
Here in N.E. Indiana, we're seeing about a 38% RISE in foreclosures, even after all the so-called "stimulus" BS being shoveled out of Washington, D.C.
Apparently, when the housing bubble burst, and property values fell (at least OURS can't fall much further, thanks to these white and black trash vermin that are allowed to move into once nice houses down here), a lot more people went into mortgage default as a result, and that kicked the old snowball down the real estate mountain, kids.
People were stuck with homes they bought that were beyond their means to pay for...life can suck at times, can't it?
Now while I do feel for these folks, you have to realize that NO ONE did this to them...but themselves. THEY made a choice to move elsewhere, when good homes were available at lower prices. The neighborhoods might not have been AS NICE, but that's where the American Spirit takes over. These people COULD have changed the face of many neighborhoods (such as mine) that were in decline, and allowed them to flourish once again, but NOooooo...they HAD to live in the "upscale" area...and it came back to bite 'em all in the ass.
Welcome to REALITY-101.
** Lastly, I want to relate a personal story that happened yesterday.
As a city boy, I never saw many birds, unless they were sparrows, robins, or pigeons...period. And Philly has LOTS of pigeons!
When I moved here to Indiana, I got to see tons of blue jays, nuthatches, cardinals, wrens, buntings, woodpeckers, and so on. I even had a RED-TAILED HAWK land on our patio chair...how cool is that?
I mean I had to refer to bloody BOOKS to figure out what the hell they all were...and it was (and still is) fun.
But my favorite are the hummingbirds that stop by our feeders...those little buggers fascinate me. First time I don't feel the need to swat at a "buzzing" sound...lol.
Yesterday, my wife called me out to tell me there were two that were "bumping nasties" on the feeder.
She said the male had just left (don't they always?), and the female was panting heavily on the feeder ring, with her tongue out. She called around and was told by a bird supply store that this was normal after mating.
Now this was cool...we'd wind up with some young'uns around...
Or would we?
The female remained on the feeder for at least a half hour, and I took some pictures of her.
I was watching her begin to move her head about, and I figured she was winding down, and getting ready to feed (she must have been really worn out).
She attempted to fly away, and as soon as she left the feeder, I knew something was wrong...I could see her wings. Now usually, they're a blur, as they beat so fast every second, they look like a bee buzzing about.
This hummingbird immediately began to flutter downward, like a soft glide, and fell into our garden. I went over to see , and she wasn't moving...her wings still outstretched.
I gently picked her up...all 3 inches of her, and she was not breathing at all.
She had just passed on.
Now, when it comes to death, I'm no stranger...
Seen way too much of it in my life. I buried both parents, several relatives, too many pets (dogs cats, birds, turtles...yes, turtles), had co-workers pass on, and seen a dear friend beat me to the grave. But, when it comes to animals, I have a REAL soft spot.
And that's why I probably would be a "basket-case" if I ever worked in an animal shelter. To me, it's very easy to have compassion for animals whose purpose in life to bring joy to others. In many instances, your pets become a member of your family. Maybe it's the whole "If you do this for the smallest creature, you do this for ME" bibical passage. Some things stick with you.
I'm the guy that jumps out of his car (in traffic) to scoop up a dog that was just hit by another car. I'm the guy that will take in a stray kitten. I'm the guy that thinks it horrible to see pets mistreated. And I have absolutely NO sympathy for those that abuse animals for their own amusement...or for profit.
But I digress...
So, when I held this tiny bird in my hand, knowing that she wasn't going to be stopping by our feeder in ANY time in the future, I did what I had to do, namely give her a "proper" burial.
Luckily, my wife had an old jewelry box, foam lined, so I wrapped the hummingbird in a tissue, placed that in a plastic bag, and then placed THAT in the box. The box went into another plastic bag, and a hole was dug in our garden.
Our little visitor would remain a permanent "guest" of our garden...the one she liked to visit. I buried her under the feeder she would stop at several times a day. And she has a small marker in the shape of a cross to remind me that's she's here...still enjoying the garden.
Now if all that seems a bit too sappy...well, no one ever said I was NOT a "complex" person.
I just happen to care, and it doesn't matter what size that "care" might come in.
It's who I am...and what I do.
Take time today to enjoy the creation that is all around you, and...
Stay safe out there, America.

04 August 2009

Tuesday Tidbits...
It's time to peruse the sections of the paper for some stories that might not necessarily be making PAGE ONE, but still have some kind of impact on our everyday life.
** Former President Bill Clinton is in N. Korea and he's going to attempt negotiating for the release of two American journalists who are being detained by the government (looking at a 12 year jail sentence) there for "committing hostilities against the Korean nation and for entering the country illegally".
So WHAT KIND of "hostilities" are we talking about here?
Did one of these journalists WHACK someone with their notepad or video camera?
Did they threaten to report the TRUTH?
And can you please find a way for the N. Korean government to KEEP Billy Boy?
I mean, I think he's worth swapping for those two journalists, don't you?
Say...where is "the missus", Bill?
** Here's a case of a situation arising from the paraphrased saying: "What happens on duty doesn't always STAY on duty"...
A FWPD officer is being suspended for SIX MONTHS for conducting a sex act on a woman (consensually) during his shift.
Here's the link to the story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20090804/LOCAL/308049979/1002/LOCAL

Now, it's a damn shame that his K-9 "partner" won't have his regular handler around for a spell, but just because you're wearing a shield, it doesn't give you the right to perform "extra curricular" activities while on the damn clock, does it? No "horizontal mambo" on duty!
And you surely don't do anything like this if there is ANY chance of having it all come back and bite you in the ass, in any way, shape, or form, right?
While this is reason to dismiss, officer Thomas Andrews will only face suspension for the time mentioned in the story.
Interestingly enough, Andrews was suspended EIGHT other times since joining the force back in 1994, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't for something of THIS magnitude and severity.
Next time....maybe wait until you're OFF duty...'ya think?
Your supposed to be better than that, and setting an EXAMPLE to your community AND to your fellow officers.
** The Fort Wayne Airport is currently enjoying the company of some vintage WW2 "warbirds", and if you're in the area, you might want to take a gander at these aircraft.
As part of the WINGS OF FREEDOM association, they represent a patriotic tribute to the men who served in the skies over Europe during that war, as well as the men (and women) who BUILT these aircraft.
There is a Boeing B-17G "Flying Fortress", a Consolidated B-24J "Liberator", and a (modified to seat two) North American P-51C "Mustang". Rides are available, but tours only cost $12 for adults, and $6 for kids.
ALL proceeds go to maintenance of these fine airplanes
I managed to roam inside of BOTH a B-17 and a B-24 in earlier days, and I have to give credit to those that flew in them. I'm about 5'7", and even I have a hard time climbing about inside these ships, so imagine if you're 6 feet tall (or more)...not much room to maneuver inside...and cramped as hell. The walkway in the bomb bay was only about a foot wide, and you had bomb racks full of 500 pounders all around you.
Here's a link to a brief video of the "tour":
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090804/VID/908049996
You'll find it pretty cool (even if the audio is a bit "windblown").
** A few more thoughts on this whole "Cash for Clunkers" deal.
First, here is a picture of one of our "local boom boyz", and his wonderfully painted and rusting Chevy Caprice Classic (from the late 80s), doing what HE does best...basically trash the neighborhood and act with no regard for anyone else.
And YES, that is "stuff" he's dumping out the car window. Don't know what, exactly.
Now this car runs (unfortunately) and has a nice LOUD stereo (which could use the business end of a sledgehammer), BUT...THIS is the kind of vehicle that could be considered for this clunker deal.
This moron is representative of close to 60-70 percent of ALL the vehicles just in MY area, and while these jerks seem to evade the police on a daily basis, this particular idiot will be someone who has no interest in this clunker deal.
He LIKES his POS Chevy. He KNOWS it's annoying to others, and he THINKS he's cool while driving it around.
Well, it's that false sense of superiority that masks his inferiority complex (and his obviously inadequate genitalia) because the louder the car stereo...the smaller the penis...yeah, it's a man-boy thing.
Be nice if he married this crate to a tree, and saved us ALL about $4500, wouldn't it?
** The recession is being touted as "now being over"...
I for one, am not ready to claim "victory" in this battle...not quite yet.
Just because the DOW has climbed into more familiar territory (over 9000), and just because manufacturing is seeing a slight growth (as is consumer spending), doesn't necessarily mean we;'re out of the woods YET, kids.
Manufacturing tends to rise in late summer because by October, new vehicles hit showrooms, and new model lines for appliances and electronics are on the floor, as well as the big "gear-up" for the Christmas season, so that's not a really VALID point.
Consumer spending rises because people have some money to spend on things they NEED and are looking to replace. it's not about frivolous spending on electric dog polishers...not by a long shot. People are still cautious and spending a lot more wisely.
As for the DOW rising...it's a damn roller coaster, people.
After every rise, there are dips before the next hill...that's the way the system goes.
But we're also hearing that oil supplies need to be cut back...(here we go again).
According to the IEA, production fell 6.7% this year, as compared to 3.7% back in 2007 (maybe the Arabs are just taking some time off?), and that oil fields are being depleted at a faster rate than once predicted.
So that could basically hurt any economic recovery.
Like I said...the recession ain't quite over yet, folks (unless you want to admit it IS...and that we're into a full-blown DEPRESSION now).
Lastly, when it comes to having my hand held, I much more preferred it was my dear, departed parents doing it, instead of the vice-like grip of Big Government.
But, as you get older, you learn that the time for hand-holding is OVER, unless you're going to be doing it for YOUR children...or grand children (until THEY figure out what you already know).
But there are those in our society that WANT their hands held...ad perpetuum, it seems. And they don't care how much it costs...YOU.
And our government just laps this up like spilled milk on the floor in a houseful of cats!
They LIVE for this kind of "control".
And the people they "serve" LIVE for that control, all the while believing they're still "free".
I don't.
I subscribe to the notion that you succeed or fail based on what YOU do..or do not do. YOUR willingness to press on during adverse times dictates the level of the American spirit...that same spirit that made this nation great.
YOU control YOUR destiny...
It's YOUR life, YOUR decisions, and YOUR future that you hold in the palm of YOUR hand.
Let the government run the COUNTRY...that's THEIR job.
Let every one of us run our LIVES...that's OUR job.
Preserve you freedoms and your liberties for yourselves...and your children.
After all, it's THEIR future as well, if not more so.
Stay safe out there, America.

03 August 2009

Monday Musings...
You know, there are some days when you just KNOW that if it were not for the idiots of the world, the rest of us would truly having nothing at all to find amusement in, and that IS a fact.
** Now, I don't know about YOU, but if *I* were a student, and I wanted to see the world, or even took a course that deemed that I do some study in a foreign land, the LAST PLACE I would choose would be one that has been "less than peaceful", shall we say.
In other words...STAY AWAY FROM NATIONS INVOLVED IN SOME TYPE OF WAR, DUMMY!
Well, three students couldn't heed that advice, wandered across the Iraqi border, and are now "guests" of the IRANIAN government, being charged as SPIES. And, unlike OUR judicial system, these people aren't getting the old wrist slap and "don't do that again" routine.
Yep, that just made MY "summer student exchange program" a LOT less stressful.
The Swiss are trying to find out (on behalf of the USA) to ascertain the specifics to this development.
(pssst...bring CHOCOLATE...I think they're gonna need some - it's COMFORT food)
** The "Cash for Clunkers" (read smoke and mirrors) program...ran out of money...in FOUR DAYS.
Must be a lot of folks out there willing to help the environment by purchasing smaller, more fuel-efficient cars that will probably kill them all if they get into a 40 mph crash on some highway anyway. Count ME out.
Now the president is "asking" the Senate to front ANOTHER TWO BILLION (with a "B") DOLLARS to keep this program going.
Doesn't this scenario seem just a little bit TOO familiar here?
I was never one for tossing good money after bad, so it stands to reason that I will NEVER wind up in ANY political office. Besides, I don't go around lying to everyone while reaching in their pockets and emptying their wallets.
Funny...that reminds me of another story I saw in the news locally...
** Indiana's "privatized" welfare system is falling on hard times, and that comes as NO surprise to me (or you).
It SHOULD have been obvious, that, as the welfare system GREW over the decades, turning from a "stop-gap" measure to aid those in financial straits into the governmentally-funded money-sucking behemoth of mythological proportions, it no longer resembles the "assistance" program designed to fill the void between employment situations, or assist those due to physical hardships like a sudden illness that takes them off the workforce role.
What the welfare system has become is nothing short of an "alternative lifestyle choice" for the lazy. Gee, and here I thought we were told that being GAY was an alternative lifestyle choice, too. Welfare has become a cash-cow for way too many with NO ambition and NO desire to be PART of the American experience called OUR SOCIETY. They'd much rather create their own sub-culture, fueled BY this flawed welfare system, that drains needed monies from those who ARE deserving.
Indiana thought it prudent to hand over the welfare system to a "private" entity, and now that entity is finding out HOW DAMN HARD it is to make work over a long period.
Think of welfare like unemployment...it's TEMPORARY (or it SHOULD BE), until some form of disability payment kicks in, or a person gets some form of SSI payout, however it becomes determined.
Many presidents have tried to wean people off of welfare, but like the addictive societal "drug" that it is, nothing seems to work (and that goes for those wonderfully defrauding the system). There is NO INCENTIVE to get the people back to work, and sadly, we have OURSELVES (meaning the job force sector) to blame.
We've outsourced SO many jobs, and have seen manufacturing dwindle from a tidal wave to a piss-stream over the decades, that it would take a generation or two to bounce back, should the business leaders of this nation even decide to do so.
And face it, we can only have SO many burger-flippers in town, right?
** Now, if I were going to take some detainees from Gitmo, and place them in America...where EXACTLY would be an "ideal" place. Too many people are already crying NIMBY, so that kinda limits my "possibilities", doesn't it?
Still, the Prez said he wanted to shut down Gitmo's detainee "prison", so I still have this dilemma.
Hold on a minute...I have the perfect solution...send them to....(wait for it)....DETROIT!
I mean, there's basically nothing hardly THERE any longer (except the police...and prisons...and gangs), and what few decent people remain aren't going to cause any kind of "stink" about having terrorists in their midst. Hell, they've had DOMESTIC TERRORISTS around there in the form of ethnic gangs for DECADES! What's a few MORE, right? I mean, it's NOT like these detainees won't feel "at home" after seeing the city...many parts of it ALREADY look like Kabul...or Baghdad (after a bombing). Yeah, they'll fit RIGHT in, won't they?
Damn shame...that USED to be a nice jewel in America's crown...didn't it?
Today, Detroit can't even claim they have a GROCERY STORE CHAIN (like a Krogers) within the city limits...(no one wants to open a store where there's that much crime, and who can blame them?)
Now, it will be a potential future home for Islamic terrorists.
Wow...who'da thunk?
** Lastly, I want to briefly revisit something I spoke about last week, and that was all this "crap" flying at every one of us from every direction every day.
We all know about those things in our "personal" lives that task us for no reason. Case in point:
Yesterday, for NO reason, our washer decided to upchuck some water on the floor...could not find ANY leak, and the pump wasn't clogged nor malfunctioning. The drain line was not damaged or blocked in any way...it just puked up water. It ran perfectly after that with NO leakage ANYWHERE. And I've worked on enough of these to know what's what.
Suffice it to say, it still has me stumped, but as long as it works...fine by me.
Another typical day in most households...always something weird coming down the pike, and most times, we don't see it coming, in spite of being "on alert" for possible problems...we like to "Be Prepared" as it were.
But if all the things in our house that smack us over the head aren't enough, we might to contend with our immediate surroundings. If you live in a nice area, this is usually never an issue, but in neighborhoods like mine (and there are all too many across America) that is another level of preparedness we have to face every day.
Then there is the TOP SHELF (Federal) stuff that hits us damn near every time we pick up a paper, log onto the Internet for news, or watch the TV. And Lord KNOWS we have to pay attention to THIS crap, because it usually affects us in ways we could NEVER imagine, and most times, not in the best way.
Man, it's liked being "taxed" THREE TIMES for just being alive...oh, wait, we're ALREADY having that done to us...
These are days when we HAVE to pay attention to damn near anything and everything coming at us.
We need to ask questions, because that's the ONLY way we have to find out if anyone knows the ANSWERS. And if they don't, we have to keep asking until we find someone that does. And that could as easy as looking in the mirror.
YOU might just have the right answer.
The thing is...finding the proper question to hang it onto.
Just something to ponder.
Stay safe out there, America.