"Counting Seconds"

On Armed Self Defense: "When seconds count, minutes don't matter".

"A Conservative with Libertine Leanings"

My Dear “DaveH”, and the rest of the Libertarians out there: When are you folks going to wise up? Weren’t enough of you around to observe the “H” Effect? Yes, sir, ol’ H. Ross Perot certainly got “under the hood and fix(ed) it”, now didn’t he? Third party’s cause liberals to win. Pure and simple. There are signs that the conservative tide is rising once again in this country. When will Libertarians realize that by joining the Republican Party, to help it return to it’s conservative roots, it would be a giant step towards achieving a more laissez faire, “Don’t Tread On Me”, constitutionalist form of Federal governance? I’ve always been a “Conservative with Libertine Leanings”, as I put it, and I’m a’tryn’ t’do a’what ah’kin m’own self to make this happen. Where the Hell are you folks, except on the outside looking in and constantly, continually (and, apparently, contentedly) complaining. The time to “put up, or shut up” is at hand. As the old song asks: “Which side are you on, boys? Which side are you on?”

"Freedom is not free"

As a child, during WW II and just after, I traveled with my parents from New England to California and back again by train across this country twice. I vividly remember the railcars, Pullman or Sleeping, Day Coach or Dining, being full of servicemen on their way to, then from the war. I've often wondered how many of them came home safely. I'm not a veteran (by my definition) but I am an ex GI (06/'59-06/'62). Perhaps being from New England, coupled with my military experience, I'm a bit more outwardly thankful for the sacrifices made by our military "to protect us from all enemies, foreign and domestic", ever since the founding of this "Great Experiment"; "A republic, if [we] can keep it". It is ever thus that "Freedom is not free".

"Centrist" vs. "Moderate"

They say: “Honesty is the best policy”, except, of course, when it comes to political promises. When you give the voters a choice between a “Centrist” from column A or a “Moderate” from column B, what you’re doing is giving them a choice between TweedleD("emo"crat) and TweedleDum(bo). ‘nough said?

"Waste not" found wanting?

"A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life."

--Charles Darwin, 

English naturalist

"A man who does not deign to pause for an hour to contemplate his navel does not understand the meaning of life."

--Myron J. Poltroonian

American observationist 

Carly Vs. Chuck - RINO's Vs. Rhino's

In a discussion in The Personal Liberty Digest over the qualifications of Carly Fiorina verses Chuck DeVore as a conservative candidate to replace (defeat) Barbara Boxer as a U.S. senator from California, there seems to be a pattern here. There are some, it seems, who are of the bent that "Only the 'Purest of the Pure' are qualified enough". Given that mind-set, I wonder if Ron Paul or even John Birch would be "Pure" enough for them. As to the "Throw [all] the bums out!" crowd, others, with cooler heads, have pointed out that there are some politicians (such as Tom McClintock, Peter Hoekstra and others) who've already proved their bona fides as to their conservative credentials and ask, why on Gods green earth would we want to "Throw out the baby with the bath water"? In all of this I sadly discern the hand of Public (Un)Education (in spelling and grammar), and a willingness to follow the media's headlong descent into abbreviated "New Speak", i.e.: Plural sentence structure in the singular and/or vise versa. All in the name of "Increased space for 'Content' " (i.e.: more room for advertising, actually). By the way, "RINO's" lack what I call the "H" factor, they have very thin skins, unlike Rhino's, who can take an extraordinary amount of punishment and still keep charging ahead.

"You'll get all the healthcare you need."

Those were the words uttered by "NerObama" a few months ago in response to a question about "His" Healthcare Plan that I saw on a television (broadcast, not cable). That was enough for me. He was signaling that "His" government bureaucrats would be deciding how much care you "needed", not you and your physicians. I'm sick and tired of hearing "Your habits are costing me money", type of arguments vis a vis insurance rates. If you could shop for your insurance and chose a provider that does not cover smokers, non vegetarians, et cetera, then you could better control your costs. What the ["bleep"] is so hard to figure out about that? Nothing. Trust me, if I, an old former guitarist of 20 years (and now a trucker for 23) can, even the "Pinheads in the pinstripe suits" in DC can. They are just too addicted to the gravy train of campaign donations (and/or outright bribes) the current system provides for them. After all, their health benefits aren't affected, just their ability to get reelected and stay on the train. Hopefully, someday we, the people will be actually able to derail that gravy train. Until then, "Just Say No" to this blatant grab for the ultimate power over our lives - our very health and well-being.

Gangs, Guns and the Police

An article, about DC police arresting an MS XII gang member for killing a nine year old, was published in the Washington Times today, prompted me to reply thusly: Now, I don't know if the apartment building in question is privately or publicly owned, nor should it make much difference, as I'm willing to bet that that there are quite a few tenants there (and in the neighborhood) who are on one form or another of subsidized rent. That, unfortunately leads to a attitude of disrespect and an outward lack of care as exemplified by the mere act of not closing the doors or gates where one lives, ("Hey! I didn't leave it open! So why should I be expected to close it?") et cetera. I've seen this attitude displayed over and over again. If the residents of DC were "allowed" by their "Electeds" (something unconstitutional for them to deny, by the way) to freely exercise their 2nd amendment rights, then the criminals wouldn't be nearly so freely plying their trade. All that said, gangs such MS XIII, are just one of the problems we're importing with our current lack of enforcement of our far too porous borders. One third of all federal prisoners are illegal aliens. Why? When will the will of the people be enforced - not the will of the politicians trolling for loyal voters, or campaign funds (or outright bribes) from the corporations who employ them? Don't blame "Heller", or "Easy Access to (evil implied) Guns", as those are just the excuses that politicians and bleeding hearts use to hid the truth. That being that, for one reason or the other, they want you totally dependent on them; and, if you won't submit willingly, they'll legislate you into submission. Then the criminals will enjoy an even greater "Free Fire Zone", since, as the police readily admitted, their efforts are reactive, not proactive. Who saves your life in the very first seconds of a violent assault? Not those you have to wait for to show up after you finally connect with 911.

"Bad Men Cannot Make Good Citizens"

"Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, is incompatible with freedom. No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue; and by a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles."

-Patrick Henry

"Freud Employed"

I cannot help but notice that those who use the term 'Teabaggers" as a vulgar, derogatory reference to those who voluntarily attended "Tea Party" rallies; unwittingly expose what it is they use for dental floss. "If you lay down with ..., you'll get up with ... ."

"Oil Shale Reserves?"

Most interesting….

Pass this along to you're Representatives and ask "Why?" I"ll bet that most of them will not know what you're talking about... Sinful!
About 6 months ago I was watching a news program on oil and one of the Forbes Bros. was the guest. This is out of context, but this is the actual question as asked. The host said to Forbes, "I am going to ask you a direct question and I would like a direct answer, how much oil does the U.S. have in the ground." Forbes did not miss a beat, he said, "more than all the Middle East put together." Please read below.
The U. S. Geological Service issued a report in April ('08) that only scientists and oil men knew was coming, but man was it big. It was a revised report (hadn't been updated since '95) on how much oil was in this area of the western 2/3 of North Dakota ; western South Dakota ; and extreme eastern Montana .... check THIS out:
The Bakken is the largest domestic oil discovery since Alaska 's Prudhoe Bay , and has the potential to eliminate all American dependence on foreign oil. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates it at 503 billion barrels. Even if just 10% of the oil is recoverable... at $107 a barrel, we're looking at a resource base worth more than $5.3 trillion.
'When I first briefed legislators on this, you could practically see their jaws hit the floor. They had no idea..' says Terry Johnson, the Montana Legislature's financial analyst.
'This sizable find is now the highest-producing onshore oil field found in the past 56 years' reports, The Pittsburgh Post Gazette. It's a formation known as the Williston Basin , but is more commonly referred to as the 'Bakken.' And it stretches from Northern Montana, through North Dakota and into Canada . For years, U. S. oil exploration has been considered a dead end. Even the 'Big Oil' companies gave up searching for major oil wells decades ago.. However, a recent technological breakthrough has opened up the Bakken's massive reserves.... and we now have access of up to 500 billion barrels. And because this is light, sweet oil, those billions of barrels will cost Americans just $16 PER BARREL!
That's enough crude to fully fuel the American economy for 2041 years straight.
2. And if THAT didn't throw you on the floor, then this next one should - because it's from TWO YEARS AGO!
U. S. Oil Discovery- Largest Reserve in the World!
Stansberry Report Online - 4/20/2006

Hidden 1,000 feet beneath the surface of the Rocky Mountains lies the largest untapped oil reserve in the world. It is more than 2 TRILLION barrels. On August 8, 2005 President Bush mandated its extraction. In three and a half years of high oil prices none has been extracted. With this motherload of oil why are we still fighting over off-shore drilling?
They reported this stunning news: We have more oil inside our borders, than all the other proven reserves on earth. Here are the official estimates:
- 8-times as much oil as Saudi Arabia
- 18-times as much oil as Iraq
- 21-times as much oil as Kuwait
- 22-times as much oil as Iran
- 500-times as much oil as Yemen
- and it's all right here in the Western United States.
HOW can this BE? HOW can we NOT BE extracting this? Because the environmentalists and others have blocked all efforts to help America become independent of foreign oil! Again, we are letting a small group of people dictate our lives and our economy.....WHY?
James Bartis, lead researcher with the study says we've got more oil in this very compact area than the entire Middle East -more than 2 TRILLION barrels untapped. That's more than all the proven oil reserves of crude oil in the world today, reports The Denver Post.
Don't think 'OPEC' will drop its price - even with this find? Think again! It's all about the competitive marketplace, - it has to. Think OPEC just might be funding the environmentalists?
Got your attention/ire up yet? Hope so! Now, while you're thinking about it .... and hopefully P.O'd, do this:
3. Pass this along. If you don't take a little time to do this, then you should stifle yourself the next time you want to complain about gas prices--- because by doing NOTHING, you've forfeited your right to complain.
--------
Now I just wonder what would happen in this country if every one of you sent this to every one in your address book.
By the way....this is all true. Check it out at the link below!!!
GOOGLE it or follow this link. It will blow your mind.
http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1911

"History Unfolding"

I was reading Chuck Norris' weekly column in Human Events <http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=34042&page=8&viewID=1166499>, when I stumbled across this comment on page six of the readers comments:

Take the four minutes to read this.

Maybe he is wrong.

What if he is right?

David Kaiser is a respected historian whose published works have covered a broad range of topics, from European Warfare to American League Baseball. Born in 1947, the son of a diplomat, Kaiser spent his childhood in three capital cities: Washington D.C. , Albany , New York , and Dakar , Senegal .. He attended Harvard University , graduating there in 1969 with a B.A. in history. He then spent several years more at Harvard, gaining a PhD in history, which he obtained in 1976. He served in the Army Reserve from 1970 to 1976.

He is a professor in the Strategy and Policy Department of the United States Naval War College. He has previously taught at Carnegie Mellon, Williams College and Harvard University . Kaiser's latest book, The Road to Dallas, about the Kennedy assassination, was just published by Harvard University Press.

History Unfolding

I am a student of history. Professionally, I have written 15 books on history that have been published in six languages, and I have studied history all my life. I have come to think there is something monumentally large afoot, and I do not believe it is simply a banking crisis, or a mortgage crisis, or a credit crisis. Yes these exist, but they are merely single facets on a very large gemstone that is only now coming into a sharper focus.

Something of historic proportions is happening. I can sense it because I know how it feels, smells, what it looks like, and how people react to it. Yes, a perfect storm may be brewing, but there is something happening within our country that has been evolving for about ten to fifteen years. The pace has dramatically quickened in the past two.

We demand and then codify into law the requirement that our banks make massive loans to people we know they can never pay back? Why?

We learned just days ago that the Federal Reserve, which has little or no real oversight by anyone, has "loaned" two trillion dollars (that is $2,000,000,000,000) over the past few months, but will not tell us to whom or why or disclose the terms. That is our money. Yours and mine. And that is three times the $700 billion we all argued about so strenuously just this past September. Who has this money? Why do they have it? Why are the terms unavailable to us? Who asked for it? Who authorized it? I thought this was a government of "we the people," who loaned our powers to our elected leaders. Apparently not.

We have spent two or more decades intentionally de-industrializing our economy.. Why?

We have intentionally dumbed down our schools, ignored our history, and no longer teach our founding documents, why we are exceptional, and why we are worth preserving. Students by and large cannot write, think critically, read, or articulate. Parents are not revolting, teachers are not picketing, school boards continue to back mediocrity. Why?

We have now established the precedent of protesting every close election (violently in California over a proposition that is so controversial that it simply wants marriage to remain defined as between one man and one woman. Did you ever think such a thing possible just a decade ago?) We have corrupted our sacred political process by allowing unelected judges to write laws that radically change our way of life, and then mainstream Marxist groups like ACORN and others to turn our voting system into a banana republic. To what purpose?

Now our mortgage industry is collapsing, housing prices are in free fall, major industries are failing, our banking system is on the verge of collapse, social security is nearly bankrupt, as is Medicare and our entire government. Our education system is worse than a joke (I teach college and I know precisely what I am talking about) - the list is staggering in its length, breadth, and depth.. It is potentially 1929 x ten...And we are at war with an enemy we cannot even name for fear of offending people of the same religion, who, in turn, cannot wait to slit the throats of your children if they have the opportunity to do so.

And finally, we have elected a man that no one really knows anything about, who has never run so much as a Dairy Queen, let alone a town as big as Wasilla , Alaska .. All of his associations and alliances are with real radicals in their chosen fields of employment, and everything we learn about him, drip by drip, is unsettling if not downright scary (Surely you have heard him speak about his idea to create and fund a mandatory civilian defense force stronger than our military for use inside our borders? No? Oh, of course. The media would never play that for you over and over and then demand he answer it. Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter and $150,000 wardrobe are more important.)

Mr. Obama's winning platform can be boiled down to one word: Change. Why?

I have never been so afraid for my country and for my children as I am now.

This man campaigned on bringing people together, something he has never, ever done in his professional life. In my assessment, Obama will divide us along philosophical lines, push us apart, and then try to realign the pieces into a new and different power structure. Change is indeed coming. And when it comes, you will never see the same nation again.

And that is only the beginning..

As a serious student of history, I thought I would never come to experience what the ordinary, moral German must have felt in the mid-1930s In those times, the "savior" was a former smooth-talking rabble-rouser from the streets, about whom the average German knew next to nothing. What they should have known was that he was associated with groups that shouted, shoved, and pushed around people with whom they disagreed; he edged his way onto the political stage through great oratory. Conservative "losers" read it right now.

And there were the promises. Economic times were tough, people were losing jobs, and he was a great speaker. And he smiled and frowned and waved a lot. And people, even newspapers, were afraid to speak out for fear that his "brown shirts" would bully and beat them into submission. Which they did - regularly. And then, he was duly elected to office, while a full-throttled economic crisis bloomed at hand - the Great Depression. Slowly, but surely he seized the controls of government power, person by person, department by department, bureaucracy by bureaucracy. The children of German citizens were at first, encouraged to join a Youth Movement in his name where they were taught exactly what to think. Later, they were required to do so. No Jews of course,

How did he get people on his side? He did it by promising jobs to the jobless, money to the money-less, and rewards for the military-industrial complex. He did it by indoctrinating the children, advocating gun control, health care for all, better wages, better jobs, and promising to re-instill pride once again in the country, across Europe , and across the world. He did it with a compliant media - did you know that? And he did this all in the name of justice and .... . .. change. And the people surely got what they voted for.

If you think I am exaggerating, look it up. It's all there in the history books.

So read your history books. Many people of conscience objected in 1933 and were shouted down, called names, laughed at, and ridiculed. When Winston Churchill pointed out the obvious in the late 1930s while seated in the House of Lords in England (he was not yet Prime Minister), he was booed into his seat and called a crazy troublemaker. He was right, though. And the world came to regret that he was not listened to.

Do not forget that Germany was the most educated, the most cultured country in Europe . It was full of music, art, museums, hospitals, laboratories, and universities. And yet, in less than six years (a shorter time span than just two terms of the U. S. presidency) it was rounding up its own citizens, killing others, abrogating its laws, turning children against parents, and neighbors against neighbors.. All with the best of intentions, of course. The road to Hell is paved with them.

As a practical thinker, one not overly prone to emotional decisions, I have a choice: I can either believe what the objective pieces of evidence tell me (even if they make me cringe with disgust); I can believe what history is shouting to me from across the chasm of seven decades; or I can hope I am wrong by closing my eyes, having another latte, and ignoring what is transpiring around me..

I choose to believe the evidence. No doubt some people will scoff at me, others laugh, or think I am foolish, naive, or both. To some degree, perhaps I am. But I have never been afraid to look people in the eye and tell them exactly what I believe-and why I believe it.

I pray I am wrong. I do not think I am. Perhaps the only hope is our vote in the next elections.

David Kaiser

Jamestown , Rhode Island

United States

"The Price Of (Defending) Freedom"

Have any of you seen this? (Link to: youtube.com/watch?v=B8ltm3ZrRB8&feature=player_embedded ) The price of freedom is never free. And yet, we, America, keep paying it. It's evidently a thankless task, as it seems no one ever says "Thank You, America". Not, anyway, anyone in charge of the government whose people we rescue from whatever tyranny has befallen them. Whether in/or/external murderous oppression, we go in and try and set things right. Our reward is to be disrespected in the United Nations, voted down at every opportunity and held up for ever more financial gifts masquerading as "Aid", and, adding insult to injury, what ever goods we send are relabeled with UN labels so the people who receive our largess are not even aware of the origin of the meager remnants of the UN pilfered aid we send.

"ADVICE FROM AN OLD TENNESSEE MOUNTAIN MAN" by Jeff the Trucker

ADVICE FROM AN OLD TENNESSEE MOUNTAIN MAN
Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.
Keep skunks and bankers and lawyers at a distance.
Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
Words that soak into your ears are whispered... not yelled.
Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.
Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.
You cannot unsay a cruel, or unkind word.
Every path has a few puddles.
When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
The best sermons are lived, not preached.
Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.
Don't judge folks by their relatives.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back,
you'll enjoy it a second time.
Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none.
Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop
diggin'.
Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.
Always drink upstream from the herd.
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a [w]hole lot easier than puttin' it
back in.
If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try
orderin' somebody else's dog around.
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest up to God.
Live & Let Live.

"Good Enough for Caesar?"

Has anyone else noted that politicians tend to insulate themselves from "their Constituency" between elections as much as possible? "Thank you for your e-mail. Due to the great volume 'We' receive ... . Please go to our website; send us a letter; call us at", et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Dammit! When politicians limit their lawmaking, and so forth, to just the handful of fools who elected them, then they can claim that they only have to listen to their electorate. As long as their foolishness lays claim to the lives of the rest of us, then by God, they'd better pay attention to the rest of us. My view of "Fair Taxation" is: "If 10% is good enough for God, it's good enough for Caesar".

"Politically, or Epidemiologically Correct?"

Post to: My Dear "Healthy Man, here": Are you "Healthy" enough to remember the "Karpis Sarcoma" outbreak during the mid-eighties in San Francisco? I am. Diane Feinstein was the mayor at the time. And, to appease her voting block, she refused to close the "Gay" Bath Houses for an entire year, in order to not offend the majority of her party's "Politically Correct" cohorts. While it may have been a "Politically Correct" decision, from her party's political perspective, it was disastrously disingenuous from an epidemiological standpoint. (If you doubt me, ask your now deceased "friends" who did not survive the post-initial onslaught of this insidious disease.)

"It's Coming"

I said it during the Clinton administration: "It's coming.". That was during the Janet Reno/Jamie Garelick "Actions" to "Save the Children" at Waco, Texas, (by killing them), and at Ruby Ridge, Colorado (by killing a mother with a babe in arms in order to capture someone who may (repeat, may) have violated the minimum rifle barrel length by 1/16th of an inch). To what "It" was I referring? The revolution by Americans to return our country back to it's constitutional [Cons(. )( .)utional - if the "Washington Times rude language monitor-savant" is still disallowing the proper spelling of English words, and their] roots. Now, much to my sad recognition, the "Bloodless Coup" has not yet been confronted by the "Non-Bloodless Counter Revolution". Am I happy over this apparent inevitability? Hell no! Am I resigned to it's inevitability? Sadly, reluctantly, disgustedly, I'm beginning to see no other way out of this decent into Fascism. Benito Mussolini would be proud of GE, PHILLIPS, GENERAL MOTORS, CHRYSLER, (or anything run and/or funded/controled by George Soros) et al, and their conjoining with big government to curtail competition from their competitors. God preserve us. He knows the current administration won't. I say that as a not overtly religious man. But I am "An American" who firmly believes in the founding principles of our country, first, last and always.

"What Would Jesus Do?" Ask His Father.

I found the following question posted as a comment to an article in the Washington Times. I felt constrained to reply as follows: My Dear Roger47: "Would Jesus want everyone to get medical care, without regard for ability to pay? If so, He would support health care reform." True enough. His Father, however, saw fit to give His creations the free will to decide for themselves how much charity they wished to give to others and the ability to teach others how to take care of themselves. ("If you give a man a fish, etc ... ." Verses the "Water into wine ... ." scenario.) He also gave His creations the ability to choose how to use their abilities to either take care of themselves with pride, or to depend on the largess of their fellows with envy. He did not, however, give anyone the "Right" to demand (at the point of any weapon) a share of unearned largess produced by others.

"The Tree of Liberty"

Quercus Liberatus thirsts. Feed her well.

"Words to live by. And, if necessary, to cause others to die for."

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

"Quaker Voting Rights"

How shall I put this? If, at any time, anyone, black, white, green (shirted), blue, yellow or brown, or any shade in between, ever tries to intimidate, delay, dissuade or otherwise harass or prevent me from voting, I'm afraid I'll have to remind them of the words of the irate Quaker: "Friend. I would not harm thee for the world. However, thou art standing where I am about to shoot.". They will not "Take my gun from my cold, dead fingers", rather, "Others will take my bullets from their (and/or your) cold, dead bodies.". Any questions? (Note for "Progressives" with "Aggressive Gun Control Disorder" - this means you and any turncoat "Americans" you send to do that which you have no B(eggs)s to do yourself.)

"English Only?" My Grandmothers Solution"

My grandmother, on my father's side, emigrated to America with her husband, my grandfather, shortly after the turn of the last century, to escape the impending massacres of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks. My grandfather died when my father was 11, and my grandmother went to work teaching immigrants citizenship classes for well over 50 years. She would speak the native tongue with her contemporaries, but, except for teaching them how to say: "Hello. How are you?" - and, "I'm fine, thank you." in her native tongue, never with her children. She instead taught her children, all of whom were born in America, "You live here. You learn, speak and think in the language of this country". They all did quite well for themselves, and their families, as a result.

"Mores the Pity"

Regarding the continuing scandals over outrageous expenses charged to their expense accounts in Parliament by the MP's, as they're known: If only the current pack o' Brits had what we cheeky, upstart colonists had the temerity and foresight to enshrine in our "God given rights" proclaimed when we threw off the yoke of their oppressive government; the second amendment. Then, they could credibly offer to pay for the "Final Expenses" for those arrogant "Spawn of Unwedded Bliss" in Parliament who act so "Upper Crust", if you will and refuse to either change their ways or leave office. Alas, their government has no fear whatsoever of their "Wards" ability to forcefully, if need be, "Throw the Bums Out". "Mores the Pity". Indeed.

"Don't Worry, Bob's here!"

"Don't Worry, Bob's here!" That was the punch line from a rather memorable commercial for a temp agency from a few years ago. I took that line, applied it to illegal immigration and came up with the following tongue in cheek essay: "Don't worry, B.O.B.'s here!" "B.O.B." stands for "Bag limit? Or Bounty?" It went on from there. Unfortunately, it's lost somewhere in the old, real old computer it was created on. You, however, I believe, get the idea. Of course, the "progressives" who read it were "outraged, simply outraged" by it. I saw this reaction as a good sign, since they usually are by the truth. I also was saddened by the realization that "A Modest Proposal", or something similar, could not be published in todays world of "Politically Correct, New Speak".

Catty "C's"

The following was posted by me after reading an article written by a woman about Sara Palin's resignation in a positive, family manner. The comments posted, especially by women, were so vitriolic, I felt constrained to give a little "Backhanded" response, if, for no other reason, only to shock the vicious vixens' to rethink their responses to conservative women: I love the left's "Unkinder, Less gentler" demeanor ("de less dey have to offer, de meaner dey gets"). Catty c(vagina's)s attempts at keeping suppressed the message of any part of an American conservative culture's views, which, unlike their own, actually take pride in their down home, "plain speaking" (Harry S. Truman), if you will. What you blathering bimbette's do not understand is the fact that even this 68 year old Alpha Male who hunts, fishes and is a conservationist - not an environmentalist - and an America First, Last and Always voter, would trust someone who does not make a big deal out of who she is. You do. You make the big deal out of every last bit of she and her family's life. Then, if (trick word) you don't like what she stands for, she finds herself responding to innumerable false accusations made by all the jealous, frowzy frumps such as yourselves who can't stand anyone who doesn't fit their (allegedly) sophisticated (and, of course it's so superior) world view. Would conservatives want an Andy Jackson type for President again? Anyone? Hell yes!. (Now scurry, scurry. Off you go to Google, Lexus Nexus, Wikipedia or wherever one goes searching for any "dirt" on ol' Andy J. one can use to bolster one's specious argument's against Mrs. (not Ms., but Mrs.) Palin. Ta, ta! By the way, "Ladies" (or is it Laddies in drag?), never vote for anyone who uses "Trust", "Vote" and "Me" in the same sentence. Oh yes. Even I would've sat down and had a beer with the ol' "Elmer Gantry" of politics, Bill Clinton, but that doesn't mean I'd ever vote for him.

"On Gun Control"

"An armed society, is a polite society."; Thus noted the late, great author, Robert Heinlein. He also, in one of his works noted, at the entrance to "the Woods", the following: "Warning" "The varmints in these parts are not tame." "visitors are advised to stay on the road, as their remains will not be forwarded to next of kin.". I have, on occasion, had to make the presence of a firearm known. I too, was not in violation of the second amendment of our constitution, just the laws of the state I was residing in that contravene the constitution. As a matter of fact, I had my right eye socket broken in March of '73 because there was no one willing to intervene and there was no firearm handy. The neurosurgeon who put me back together told me I was lucky to be alive and never let that happen again. I haven't. Several times in urban settings, only once or twice in the wilds of the back country.

I have gone hunting in the Trinity National Forest, for example, and encountered extra-urban agronomists, in their 20's to early 30's, just leaving their crops as the deer hunting season opened. In the tradition of any farmer describing an animal consuming or destroying their crops, "Varmints" is the very term they used to describe the deer I was about to hunt.

Fortunately, for them, my appearance was both disarming and not threatening. Older; Salt and Pepper hair and beard; 9 month old mixed-breed dog; '57 vintage Winchester model '97 30-30 WCF; Smith & Wesson N Frame .44 Spec. on my hip, all went towards convincing them I was not after their crop. What they didn't see, was my .44 Spec. calibre Charter Arms Bulldog secreted, yet handy, on my person. We chatted briefly, and went our separate ways, as I intended. If it had turned out otherwise, I knew I had a better chance than they thought, giving me the edge. I have, on occasion, had to use a firearm to defuse a potentially violent situation. Never have had to actually shoot anyone, as the sudden appearance of the gun was argument enough, and that's all I wanted in the first place.

"Enemy of the State?"

When this speech becomes illegal, I'll become a criminal: "I may become an enemy of the state, but never of the people".

"How Time Fly's"

Today is the fiftieth anniversary of my enlistment into the United States Army and my first day of three years of active duty. I must be having fun, as "It seems like only yesterday", indeed.

"Why I'll Never run for Political Office"

I wear my wrinkles and warts proudly. "Less Pasty - More Tasty", that's my motto. LIfe. Live it; love it; never waste it.

Michael Golring redux

Considering the Fourth Estate's response, I cannot resist: Obama. "Dark Lord of the Flies"?

"Can't we all just get along?" Redux

"Can't we all just get along?" Oh, I forgot. Not as long as there's money to be made and power to be gained for the pretentious-petulant-pointy-heads (pretending intellectual perspicacity), who dominate the allegedly enlightened left we can't. (At least an ostrich has enough sense to stick it's (pointy) head in the sand, and not some other dark, smelly place.) How anyone with a modicum of common sense (If common sense were, there'd be more of it) could believe that either side is without sin (yes, you fool - even your vaunted democrat party big whigs) is maintaining a state of delusion. Self or otherwise. I recently was asked by a fellow (female) community action group member, "What" I was. When I responded "American", she went into apoplexy, admonishing me sternly that I couldn't make that claim, as that wasn't a "recognized" category or group. I responded that when I was stationed near Munich, West Germany, I was asked, in German, the same question. I then told her I responded thus: "Armenisher, Englander, Franklander, Hollander und Scotlander", to which my questioner, bursting into a big smile said, "Ach! Amerikaner!". I told her it was a lesson I've never forgotten. As long as we Balkanize, segregate, separate, categorize, fold, spindle and mutilate the American polity, we diminish this grand experiment. We must embrace our uniquely American commonality, especially those precepts as espoused in our Constitution and it's Preamble thereto that bind us together. We must disavow those who would divide to conquer, control and diminish us, both as a people and as a nation.

"If common sense were, there'd be more of it"

I consider this to be good news for our local newspapers. I sent the following to the "Major Sacramento Fish-wrap": Why do you let the illiteratus infest your "comments" by the public? If I wished to be insulted, I'd go to their family reunion. It's bad enough that you go along with the new A.P. style book of bastardized English (that which eliminates proper usage, spelling and grammar) for corporate greed. (Yes, you and old "Mr. Gecko" have a lot in common.) But, you also do not warn new "Subscribers" that they have to pay to e-view this tripe, with no option to say "No", before going to the register page. It seems consistent with the bright ideas conjured up by your "Pinheads in the pinstripe suits" that Tom Sullivan refers to in other corporate media. With the "Greying of America" by Boomers, who are your loyal readers, you cut even further your content, lower your standards and raise your prices. Remarkable what the "Johnnie come-lately's" in their 30's can accomplish by intimidating their superiors in their 40's, who have to come up with something to impress their bosses in their 50's. "See Ya!"

"Shaggy Highways" Revisited

This is my follow up to the previous "Shaggy Story" I posted: Three years ago, last May, I was going up the Bass Lake Grade (a 71/2%, sweeping S shaped incline between Sacramento and Placerville, Calif.) at 8:55 am. I was driving a set of double bottoms painted white, pulled by a bright yellow tractor. It was clear and calm. I had my 4-way hazard lights on as at about 79,680 lbs. I couldn't make more than 26 mph up that grade. I was in the far right lane of three, with plenty of visibility fore and aft, when this brand new full sized pick up truck ploughs into the left rear of my back trailer going an estimated 60 + mph. I felt the slight impact, looked back in my mirror, and saw him at a dead stop with the hood straight up in the #2 lane. I pulled off to the shoulder, and assisted several people who'd stopped to help. He had trouble breathing, but otherwise seemed in fair condition. Another trucker and I tried to put out the engine fire, but the P/U burned to the ground. Fortunately, he'd just dropped off his kids at school. The really good news was that he hit left of dead center where the tires are. If, as I pointed out to the the Highway Patrol officer, he'd centered me, the impact would've placed the stinger that protrudes from the rear of the back trailer about 24", into the cab of his truck and likely would've killed him outright. Yes, I've seen a lot of idiocy out there, most of it by 4-wheelers who are "in a hurry", blind to their surroundings. I could go on, but you get the idea. I also agree that there seem to be more and more truck drivers (not truckers) who don't take the same care as most of us "more mature" truckers do. Maybe it's because, here in California at least, one can get a commercial drivers license in any of 31 different languages. Get that foolishness off the books, and I'll guarantee you a better class of trucker on the road. (If you can't understand the hand written emergency warning sign, put up by someone in the driving rain, at night, I don't want you on "My Highway". Period!

"Not Even Wrong"

The following is excerpted from the preface of "Not Even Wrong"; illustrated edition; published by Basic Books; written by Peter Woit, and suitably modified by me to reflect the controversy surrounding man made global warming and/or climate change theory and all the hype involved:

The physicist Wolfgang Pauli was known for his often less than polite criticism of the work of some of his colleagues. He would sometimes exclaim "wrong" (falsch) or "completely wrong" (ganz falsch) when he disagreed with someone. Near the end of his life when asked his opinion of an article by a young physicist, he sadly said "it is not even wrong" (Das ist nicht einmal falsch). The phrase "not even wrong" is a popular one among physicists, and carries two different connotations, both of which Pauli likely had in mind. A theory can be "not even wrong" because it is so incomplete and ill-defined that it can't be used to make firm predictions whose failure would show it to be wrong. This has been the situation of man made global warming/climate change theory from its beginnings to the present day.

This sort of "not even wrong" is not necessarily a bad thing. Most new theoretical ideas begin in this state, and it can take quite a bit of work before their implications are well enough understood for researchers to be able to tell whether the idea is right or wrong. But there is a second connotation of "not even wrong": something worse than a wrong idea, and in this form the phrase often gets used as a generic term of abuse. In the case of the man made global warming/climate change theory, the way some researchers are abandoning fundamental scientific principals rather that admit a theory is wrong is something of this kind: worse than being wrong is to refuse to admit it when one is wrong. Not one of the computer models being used to predict the future of earths climate changes has ever been able to predict the climate changes from the past to the present, even though they were fed every last bit of scientific fact as based on the hard evidence of what has actually happened to our climate to date. Algore intentionally uses the term "denier" to imply that anyone who dares to disagree with he and his colleagues in the political sphere, or his coconspirators in the United Nations, is akin to the anti holocaust ranting's of those who hate Jews. He also cleverly uses the term "outlier", which in the scientific community defines something in their findings that is at odds with the theory being tested, but is considered to be inconsequential to the final outcome. Why does the phrase "Final Solution" come to mind? Oh, yes. Maybe it's because in order "act before all the evidence is in, just in case it's correct" requires an ungodly blend of Fascistic Socialism to be imposed on everyone. Carbon Credits; Cap and Trade; Mercury filled light bulbs; Toilet Capacity; Bovine Flatulence (a fitting term for the methods the "bull in the china shop" green regulators in charge envision implementing), and there are so many more to mention it would take a compendium "the size of Baltimore" to index the injustices to be done in the name of "Saving the Planet", "Before it's too late!" (or we really know what we're doing). If you doubt me, study the evidence with an open mind, not one filled with the preconceived notion that the only "pure" scientists are the ones who do research on the governments dole. (Where do you think most university research grants come from? How about peer pressure coupled with the drying up of funds for unpopular research?) If you believe that we can learn from the past, remember the recanting of his heliocentric theory by Galileo

"Shaggy Highways"

I found the following article in the Washington Times today, which said in part: America's highways are taking on a shaggier look for the peak travel season. Grasses, shrubs and wildflowers are exploding across median strips and road shoulders this summer as states cut back on mowing to save money.

Although there are some environmental benefits, the principal reason for the cuts are financial since states rely on fuel taxes to pay for highway maintenance, and fuel sales have been hurt by the recession and the shift toward thriftier vehicles.

"Anywhere there are safety issues - sight-distance issues, known animal crossings - we'll still mow those areas. But we're not going to do fenceline-to-fenceline mowing like we do today," said Jeffrey Caldwell, spokesman for the Virginia Department of Transportation, which just announced it would mow half as often to save $20 million. ... etc.

One of the reader responses just really set me off. Heres why - unedited: we should remember, that the interstate road syttem was put in place for National Defence. RR systems are more likely to be hampered by bombs. GOOD, we have never been invaded (by an Army, that is). Rural roadways are managed by town-ship moneys, That is who pays for and purchase snow plows...etc. ...Truckers claim a right to the highways because they pay the gasoline taxes! Lets get those BIG TRUCKS off our highways!

My response was as follows: I wonder how those "Green Weenies" get this inconsistent "good idea" around another of their idiot dictums, designed to limit 4-wheeling as much as possible. To wit: That being, in part, that one mustn't stray from the designated trails because (get this), the (Evil implied) 4-wheeler's exhaust system's heat will set off grass-brush-forest-you-name-it fires. (And no, I'm not for trashing the environment either. Fool!) So, if for some reason - say you blow a tire - you have to suddenly swerve off the pavement onto said brushy/grassy/shrubbyand/or tree-filled median or shoulder - you may just ignite your own funeral pyre. Great going, inviro-nuts!

As to the complaint about Evil Big Rigs: I agree. Get the Hell off my roadways! I paid for their construction. I pay for their maintenance. Many times over, in fact. In fact I do both of those things, as I'm a "Dirt Hauler". If you would like to make the same claims, just pay all the same taxes each and every big rig owner does. Until you do - shut the Hell up! Unless, of course you want to take your puny Prius down to your nearest freight dock at either you closest international airport or container ship facility. Oh, yes. Those containers are designed to be transported by? And, after you pay through the nose in fuel/time wasted and inconvienience, then you have a right to complain. "Bubba".

"War Path? I'll show you stinking war path!"

I've found this nation practicing what I'm starting to call "Intolerant Inclusiveness" (commonly called "Diversity Speech Codes"). Quite plainly, I'm not a fan of "Hyphenated-Americans". However, I even occasionally refer to myself as "A member of the Providence Band of Fresno Indians". Why? Because I was born in Providence, RI., and, I'd never heard the term, uttered by some racist bigot, "Fresno Indian", until I was in basic training at 18 years of age. (Apparently, there's a large population of immigrants from Armenia living there in the Fresno area.) It's my sense of humor that sustains me, not my tender sensibilities about this, that or the other, real or imagined, slight. Example: I was always "The skinny kid with the big nose" when I was growing up. As I put it: "I prefer to remember myself as 'The slender youth with the proud proboscis' ". Danny Thomas(ian) used to have a joke that went: "All of you people with little noses. You go around panting all day long. Me? Once a day!" as he vigorously inhaled and pounded his chest smilingly. Hey. Life's too short to sweat the small stuff.

"What is God?"

I will turn 68 this Sunday, May 24th. When I was 17, having been raised to understand that "You don't have to be in a building, to believe in God", I decided that "God is Energy, after all, It's everywhere". Now, some five decades later, scientists in the field of "Quantum Mechanics", with "String Theory", have postulated that there indeed may be vibrating "Strings" of energy everywhere. Not only in interstellar, but intergalactic space as well. The other half of my postulation rests on the question: "What is thought?". In it's purest form, it is merely an inexplicable bit of energy carried by external means. If that is also true, then that, I believe, coupled with string theory, is the mind of God. How presumptuous is mankind to believe he can truly understand the mind, let alone interpret the will of God. If I may quote Puck: "What fools these mortals be".

"Whose side are you on, boys?"

Lets see if I follow this excess greenhouse gasses problem to it's logical conclusion: While "NerObama" fiddles, a' jawboning the Iranians, they're a' busily building nuclear weapons and testing delivery systems with a greater and longer range than necessary for their stated target for destruction, giving secondary presumed targets pause to reflect (and, hopefully, time to prepare). One would presume that the Iranians have every intention of following through with their oft stated desire to "Wipe the Zionist State off the map", or some such verbiage to that effect. One could also easily assume that the targeted country would use every means at it's disposal to prevent such an action against it. At some point, while NerObama and the UN are a' busily decrying the Iranians "success" in going nuclear, the Israelis launch a preemptive nuclear strike against them; the Taliban takes control of Pakistan and it's nukes, joining the fray. Iran also strikes out at European countries within it's range (as well as their Arab enemies); Russia takes one side or the other (most likely Iran's), China sits back grinning like the proverbial Cheshire Cat, unless attacked. (Who knows what Kim Jong Il will do while the attention of the world is distracted elsewhere.) Anyway, when all the above transpires, voila! instant "Nuclear Winter". Which means what: "End Times prophesies become true for their believers; the ending of the "Global Warming" threat; and, if we're really lucky, the Moses of the environmental movement, Algore, will go out "in a blaze of glory" (or, as It's usually called, "a puff of smoke"). The old folk song lyric: "Whose side are you on, boys. Whose side are you on", comes to mind.

"Running on Empty (Headedness)"

Limbaugh "tie[s] one half of [his] brain behind [his] back - just to be fair." (He can afford to.) RINO's tie both hands behind their backs trying to be more like the other side, a' hopin' to be liked by them by proving their "open mindedness". Which, when the votes are counted of course, merely proves their "Empty Headedness" instead.

"America" Love it, win it back, or lose it - forever

"This far, and no further" is no longer an option for conservatism. Not for the America I was born into back in '41. Yes there were inequities, but we had the capacity, as a people, to begin to right those wrongs and kick the living Hell out of the Fascists and Imperial Japan at the same time. Where we went wrong was in feeling so much relief after WW II was over that the heavy leaning to the left, boosted by Hollywood's "coming out of the closet" all out attack on traditional values, such as fighting for what you believe in, that was aided and abetted by the media, wasn't seen for what it was by far too many folks. When Korea happened, we had already lost the "Stones" to go ahead and win the damn thing. Viet Nam was a joke, as far as fighting a successful engagement went. Especially after good old Walter Cronkite declared it lost, and the rest of the media took up the cudgel of defeatism. Until, and unless, Americans return to the values of free enterprise, tempered with fair play, and a belief in American Exceptionalism along with constitutionalist principles, we are doomed to slide down that slippery slope of "Let George Do It" and "The world owes me a living (at someone else's expense)".

Miss California and the "Compassionate Politically Correct " and their tolerance for diverse opinions

 Rusty Warren, a comedienne from the '50's & '60's, used to have a routine she called "Knockers Up". In it, she encouraged women to be proud of themselves and their bodies, despite society's prudery. It seems to me that the old saw, "The more things change, the more they stay the same", is still in full bloom. And Keith Lewis(sic) is a blooming idiot. His voice (I've never seen him) pegs him as a full blown castratti. I base that on two things: 1. His weasel-wording on spilling the beans vis á vis her medical records (How did the questioner know what questions to ask?); 2. 20 years in the music business as a guitarist, in LA and the Bay Area, does help one to attune the ears. Where were all the females like Miss Rhode Island when I left in '55? This enquiring geezer wants to know.

Response to a Letter to the Editor re: Earth vs. Arbor day

My Dear Mr. Meadows, The unsubtle difference between Earph Daze and Arbor day is simple. Anyone can explain, and debate, the reasons pro and con for planting suitable species of trees, in the proper locations, to provide the maximum desired benefit. However, when the mighty "Moses" of the environmental movement, "Algore" (the prophet who stands to profit mightily by his Carbon Offsets scheme), refuses to debate any and all who dare to disagree with his "Foregone Conclusions" (masquerading as "Settled Science"); who, in fact, belittles in extremely derisive tones, any of the scientists who've reached differing conclusions based on their reading of the evidence (the "Facts", as Al Moses Gore puts it), he puts the lie to his true purpose. And his purpose is not good. He, Obama, and many others of the left, wish, for various and diverse reasons, to dismantle private property protections, suppress the individuals ability to control their holdings and, by extension, our entire capitalist system, based on the freedom of choice to do as you wish with what is yours. I find the term "Community Gardens" to be amusing at present. However, I foresee the concept of an ill defined patchwork of small community efforts being overtaken (once again for the greater good) by "The State" and turned into, by whatever name, "Collective Farms". Collective farms run by the State wherein "Some are more equal than others", indeed.

"Flyby" details

 I just got the "fifty dollars is fifty dollars" e-mail from Jeff the Trucker and just about busted a gut laughing. That would be because I almost went the way of "Esther" during that flyby. It seems that the H-34 Choctaw I was in (Huey's came out just shortly before I left) had only one output jack for a headset, and that was by the crew chief's seat next to, and just forward of the sliding door (they only had the one) on the right hand side of the aircraft (cap. 14 + a crew of 3). As I had to give directions to the pilot, I was seated in that seat. During one of the go-around's, the crew chief motioned me over to the left side to take a photo or three for him. Immediately after, we were in position to take more pictures from the open R/H sliding door, so I hurried over, sat down and commenced to use my two still cameras and the 8mm movie camera that one of the officers wanted me to use. After a moment or two, I noticed the crew chief waving his arms (he had no intercom access) at me. I looked at him and he motioned down at my waist, making a closing motion with his hands. Yes, ol' dummah here had been leaning out of the aircraft without his seat belt being fastened, just a'merrily snapping away - it was a Kodak Moment indeed. And one I'll never forget.

"H1N1-ulus"?

 So. In order to not negatively affect the “Pork” industry with politics, are we now refering to: “H1N1-Barrel Spending”?

"Flyby's"

Posted to the Tom Sullivan radio website:

Tom,

  I spent the last 18 months of my 3 years of active duty in the U S Army (06/59-06/62) as the PIO Photographer for the 8th Transportation Battalion, Light Helicopters, just outside of Munich, West Germany. One day, we staged the first ever Flyby of 100 helicopters, at about 1,000 feet above the active, all without informing the locals first. Scared the you-know-what out of 'em too. Seems the last time they heard that many piston engined aircraft was - you guessed it - WW II.

 Yes, "excrement occurs". sometimes literally.

Varmint Eradication Policy

 "Warning! The varmints in these parts are not tame. Visitors are advised to stay on the road, as their remains will not be forwarded to next of kin." Thus reads the sign at the entrance to the woods in the Robert Heinlein novel "Glory Road". Why do I bring this up? What in Sam Hill does this have to do with torture? Simple really: If you're going to play the "game", i.e.: defend yourself, your family, friends and country, against terrorists, especially ones who have no fear of death and are willing to sacrifice anyone to achieve their goal to create a worldwide Caliphate, then you had better learn their rules. RULE #1: THERE ARE NO RULES! RULE #2: Platitudes for being "better than that" on a gravestone are no substitute for victory. RULE #3: Win or die. (Unless, of course, you are of the "Submit to live like a slave" school of survive at any cost crowd. Sort of like the "Better Red Than Dead" crowd updated.) The bottom line, as far as I'm concerned is this; If you want to know what life for non Muslims under a Caliphate would be like, ask an Armenian.

And "Kool Aid" was her name 'O.

(This was posted to Tom Sullivan's radio show's website on April 27, 2009, regarding General Motors being overtaken by the government.)

Tom,

 Janet, whose call just ended, has drunk the Kool-Aid of "Change 'O". "I feel", "but the Banks are already, pretty much owned by the government", et cetera ... . Good lord man. the woman is a walking, talking "Obamaton". A "Glittering Jewel" ... , if you will. However, you sir, are a paragon of patience. " ... a better man than I, Gunga Din".

Upon "Civility", and the lack thereof.

 I'm saddened by the lack of civility engendered in society by the last 40 years of Public Indocucation and the advent of this medium - the internet. Now, I've "been accused of being ‘direct' before", as a dear friend once pointed out, but the vitriol that I find here on the internet seems to be brought about by untempered anonymity that breeds the inanity of the inane. I see some who find their compassion, as well as their vaunted tolerance, stretched beyond all limits; So, they have none - Compassion, Tolerance, nor Limits. I'm fully aware of the cries from the '60's: "Let me do my own thing!"; "Free Speech!"; Et al, ad nauseam, et cetera ...  . A great cry is heard throughout the land: "FOX (because they actually promote up coming programing) Bad!", "PBS, CNN, MSNBC, NB/AB/C"BS" Good!". (Because they don't?) Oh, I get it! What people are exposed to in the media is only bad when it encourages people to watch what the tolerant don't wish them to see - especially if they actually go ahead and watch in greater numbers that the "approved" outlets enjoy. However, whatever people see in the media has no effect when it comes to  things cultural conservatives wish not to  be shown. Why that's silly - children aren't influenced by what they see on TV, the internet, nor in the movies - why, why, that's censorship!. At least an ostrich has enough sense to stick it's head in the sand, and not some other dark, smelly place.

Posted to Jeff The Trucker's Blog on "Earth Day"

"It is not for us to wonder why." "It is just for us to do (without) and die." So ordaineth the mighty moses of the environmental movement - Algore. (Oh yes, and pay through the proboscis for the privilege of treading lightly on ol' mama earth.) My reply to such nonsense, [My  good] fellow ... ? "Oh Ya!" "Offset this!"
"Myron."

"Fictionary" on Ayn Rand

I watched a "Fictionary" on television awhile ago, depicting Ayn Rand as a sex-crazed older woman in a serial relationship with a younger man. We, the childlike great unwashed, (commonly known as viewers) were never, ever exposed, not one teeny weeny bit, to her radical philosophy of American Exceptionalism, as achieved through enlightened self-interest, also known as Capitalism. Not, as it is so often twisted into: "Unfettered Capitalism". The truth is, there is no truth when it comes to Hollywood and it's alphabet network outlets - at least when it comes to conservatism, it's philosophy and ideals. Yes: "No man is an island". Neither should he an anchor be. (As in a willing deadweight on society.)

Letter to the Professor

My Dear Professor Obama (and "His" Teaching Assistants),

 You all may chafe at the bit, so to speak, at the constraints the "Contract Of America", a.k.a. The Constitution of the United States" places on your fondest wishes: Establishing a grand kšathra-pāvan here, in place of a representative republic. By denying the very fact that our rights are given to us "by our Creator" and not subject to man denied wishes, edicts or special orders, you prove your intentions. It, our constitution, is by design, "Restrictive", and not "Proscriptive" for the very reason I'm addressing you now. It is not the fault of American gun owners that the failing oligarchs of Mexico can not control (in the sense of eliminate - not help them profit by) their increasingly violent drug lords. It is also not the fault of America's border patrol agents that their counterpart Mexican border agents are not doing the job they're supposed to be doing. Are they "on the take"? Most likely, in the land of mordida, far too many are. (That is not the type of cultural diversity we wish to "import" here, by the way.)

 It bodes ill for the American people, if the definition of "Law Abiding" can be further restricted by the hand of anyone who does not trust the very people whose very unalienable rights are in their hands.  That is not leadership by good example. rather it is the leadership of the tyrant; Whether or not by accident or design. That was something our founders (those dead Caucasian guys) were very aware of and addressed in great detail in their correspondences with one another. That, I believe, is what some, in power, are so very afraid of, a rebellion of "the great unwashed". That would be a very dim possibility indeed, if one only follows the constitutional precepts as set down by our founders.

With All Due Respect,

Mr. Myron J. Poltroonian

Life Member of the NRA

"Janus Rules"

The following exchange took place, in the space of about an hour or so, on April 18, 2009:

Penny,

 Hope I'm not intruding, but I just wanted to share an extraordinary series of exchanges to and from just two of the people we knew "Away back then". I know it's overlong, but its been just unbelievable for me. Exchanges  follow:

This is from Diane Smith:

John, I'm trying to put together all the pieces of the murky Paradox past and it occurred to me that you and your bandmates once played a gig at Disneyland.  Was that you or do I have you confused with someone else?  

There were so many Disneyland connections -- like the time they wouldn't let us in because the Dirt Band's hair was too long, or the time when Johnny McEuen was working in the magic shop in the castle.  So many good stories out there it's hard to keep track of them all!

Diane

My note to John Hutmacher, while forwarding Diane's missive:

My Dear Friend, It occurs to me that Diane's misconception may have it's genesis in the "Tall Tailing" of a certain friend of mine. To wit - you. Ms. Diane was a waitress at the Paradox, which was in Orange, California. I cannot remember if you ever went there yourself, but you met many of the same musicians that I did back then, and I have no other explanation as why else she, and others, would ever think such a thing. Do you? (I thought not.)

 So, if you wish, you have my permission to contact her and put the poor girl's misconceptions to rest - or not - depending upon your sense of humor at the moment, of course. Do look up wearetheparadox.blogspot.com to see if you remember anyone from that time. Penny Nichols is stopping nearby in Davis on her way to giving a seminar in Oregon in June, and we hope to connect then.  She was the 16 year old blond vocalist with perfect and relative pitch who was born with only one ear, and was the first female vocalist I ever played with. She's the one I used to say sounds like Judy Collins, only clearer.

 Be well, my friend. I'll know by Diane's response whether or not you actually responded to her query.

"J. B."

John's response to me:

OMG John didn't see her email.......Fuzzy rememberances.....Magic Shoppe......Band playing......Penny for sure.....she is the one I gave the anhaeuser busch name to on her list at the ???something??? club in OC on chapman???    wow.....this alzheimers meds are great....just take them and all sorts of things come in the e-mails.......

 

Just sent yr security posts to my dear friend Corky whodidn;t know I was still in touch with you....what a day this has been....what a rare mood I'm In......and I thought it was just because the inlaws were away today with Margo at the Casino........

 

Will Copy Corky if I may   and will write Diane........

 

 

A Bientot

 

IGOR

Hutmacher then sent this to Diane:

Dear Ms Smith ...

 

As a former representative of the Wurlitzer Company in Dekalb, Illinois and employee at the Wurlitzer Exhibit in the Magic Kingdom of the 60's wedged stratigically located at the corner of Main Street wedged between the Magic Choppy and the Hills Brothers Coffee bar on the left.....I was most surprised to read you posting to my dear Friend Dr. John.....It brings back many memories of times gone by and special memories to always savour.....I had a brief look at your blogspot and was impressed to see several name familiar to me and will monitor with yr kind permission to follow a bit...... Thank you for the memories and also if anyone was declined a booking because of attire, it was my dear friend and VP from the HS I attended..Mr. Dale who looked after enforcement in those days.......

 

May everyday be your best !

 

Kind regards,

 

John Hutmacher  ( my place on the Tacoma Facebook shows a mightly Wurlitzer I was honoured to play a few years ago up in Bellingham, Washington...a piece of hisroy )

I was sending this to Diane, when John's above message came in:

My Dear Diane, I couldn't resist sending your query regarding Disneyland to a very dear friend of mine from that era. He is, amongst other things, a classical keyboardist (piano, harpsichord and organ), business man and, to his credit, the instigator of the unfounded rumor that I ever played Disneyland. I haven't been to "The Magic Kingdom" since before the "Mr. Lincoln" exhibit was installed. And that was, I believe, while I was stationed in Germany. Flash! I just received John's missive to you re: "In rccpt of fwd ... ." He's just one of many good and true friends I made in those days. Thank you all.

"J. B."

Diane sent this to the two of us. wow.:

Dr. John and Media John:

The two of you have made my day!  Things were not going well this weekend and then all of a sudden I was transported back to Lincoln on Main Street, USA, at which, to quote a source .... "Mr. Lincoln would start having spasms or just bow forward and stop in the middle of the show....."  This was, according to the source, the summer of 1966, so if Dr. Besharian did not play Disneyland during or after that event, then it must have been a different John Besharian.

What a small, small world we live in.  Cheers to the both of you.  Let the Wurlitzer play on.  Diane 

Whereupon I sent this to both of them:

Diane,

 We aims to please. We does indeed. We hasn't had this much fun in ... (fill in the blank - and the well).

 Once again, into the breach.

Looking Forward (Janus-like),

"J. B."

So, my dear friend, I'm now pounding my head with the heel of my hand, whilst asking myself, "Self? why did you wait so long to be dragged, kicking and screaming into the 21st century?". I do, by the way, understand why this exchange is believable - because of you and all the others we met during that very special time in our lives.

 As they say "Down South": "See Ya!", (hopefully in June).

"J. B."