Check out the one sided reporting

http://www.time.com/video/?bcpid=1670048590&bclid=1342094282&bctid=35241957001 It's not as though I think that Truck Drivers are not capable of the crimes being reported in this video, on the contrary I have met drivers whom I believe are quite capable and willing to commit the most heinous of crimes. What the story leaves out, however is that in that self same Ontario T/A truckstop that they highlighted in the video, more drivers have been beaten, robbed, stabbed and shot, many mortally, than any other truckstop in the country. Nor does the intrepid reporter point out that many of the above mentioned crimes are committed by those same prostitutes that he interviewed, or their nearby pimps. That truckstop is also a good place to get your supply of methamphetamine, since at any given time time there are at least a half a dozen drug dealers, openly plying their trade, over the C.B. radio. To quote Rodney Dangerfield "I don't know if you're familiar with who runs that business, but I can assure you, it ain't the Boy Scouts".
I don't mind that the reporter talked about the rapes and killings of Lot Lizards, those are terrible things to have happen to anyone, but play fair you one sided liberal prick. Report the crimes committed by them against drivers, too. I know that since the American Communost party has taken over Quashington, er, I mean,,, um,,, Washington D.C., that reporting criminals as CRIMINALS is not in the best interest of your ideaology. I know that you guys need these animals to keep the public frightened and not focused on the politburo, er,,, Congress forcing ever more restrictions down our collective throats. I spent 15 years as a Truck Driver. I know the highway well. I also know that whenever some liberal winds up in the White House, news turn to stories about Killer Trucks. Under Clinton, it was stories written by P.A.T.T. and C.R.A.S.H.(Parents Against Tired Truckers and Citizens for Responsible And Safe Highways). Now, with Obama it's going to be stories written by Rev. Al Sharpton, or The Black Panthers, just as long as nobody looks too closely at Washington. Listen up ASSHOLE, if you want to report on crimes in and around the trucking industry, report on all of them, DICK.

Portia's term is nigh

I find myself wondering if there is anything cuter, although pathetic in appearance, than a pregnant Basset Hound. She's due any time now, and the poor thing is dragging her teats on the ground with every step. It's no wonder that she sleeps on her back. She has completely given up on the stairs, now. At least we know that she'll whelp on the main floor, hopefully near her bed in the laundry room, the vinyl flooring in there will be so much easier to keep clean. We are looking forward to the day with trepidation, since we own both parents and are quite aware of the volume that is achievable by multiple Basset's. A litter will just add to the existing chorus. Well, at least life won't be boring.

Life is Becoming Interesting

Well, it's 01:30, the end of a very interesting day. My canine companions are tranquil, for a change. Otis' neck is healed, he still has that shaved area, hardly noticeable. Portia may or may not be having pups in the next few weeks, another Vet visit, coming up. Butch is quite happy as the "Big" dog, again. College goes well, after a fairly confused class transition due to a familial visit. Mom and Dad are home again, and it was a safe journey. Little Alex didn't want to go home, he was enjoying himself WAY too much here with Grandpa. We did get to hear the usual complaints from his mother, that we spoiled him, too much. Yeah, we actually took the time to talk with him and play with him, and fix his meals for him, do his laundry, you know, pay attention to him. I suppose that is spoiling him, though. After all, he is 7, and should be able to take care of himself, right "mom"? Lest you think me overly sarcastic, I actually heard her say, more than once, that a child is basically self sufficient by the time they are 5. You read that right, 5! Newsflash, most aren't self sufficient at 18, much less 5. That woman is a walking talking argument for, involuntary sterilization, and apparently she's knocked up again. So much for common sense having any effect on her. She refuses to raise the two she currently has, and wants yet another one to ignore. Thank God my son had nothing to do with the current pregnancy. She had already moved on from him because he wouldn't get her pregnant, again. It seems that he looked into his finances and decided that he could barely afford the one he has, and rather than burden the taxpayers to pay for another one, he chose not to have one. Obama and his cradle to grave entitlement crowd should love this bitch. She is their wet dream. She can't be bothered to raise her kids, so she let's the state take care of that for her.
On a happier note, the job prospects may be looking up. It will be hard for people that know me to believe, but I'm seriously looking at a job working with troubled teens. I actually should relate to them fairly well, since I never really grew up, myself. I look at the situation these kids are in and think to myself, "There, but for the grace of God, go I". A couple of different choices, years ago, and I would have been where they are. I really hope it comes through for me, I truly believe I can help. Well, I'm going to wrap this up, Bye for now.

Canine Delusions of Grandeur

Six days ago, my male Basset Hound, Otis, decided that it was time for him to establish his dominance over the other two canines in the house. He probably would have challenged me next, he was feeling so full of himself, but that notion was nipped in the bud when he made his initial challenge to Butch, an 11 year old Rottweiler, who has frankly seen it all, heard it all, and is just too old and tired to care about it, anymore. Butch does not have a vicious bone in his body, but that body does still have about 70 pounds on Otis. So, when the young lad exerted his dominance, he was summarily put in his place, and not even that forcefully, but remember that 70 pounds I mentioned a second ago? The final result was: Butch 1, Otis 0, with a trip to the vet to clean up the, not so gentle reminder on Otis' neck, that Butch is NOT to be trifled with. Having seen it, I was simply reminded of the fact that dog's live by a very simple and straight forward set of rules. If you fuss with the big dog, you get bitten. And here I was, thinking that maybe Butch is getting too old to take care of himself, anymore. I got an education, too.

What a week this has been.

Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Billy Mays, and Michael Jackson all in a week. Not great shocks, at least with three of them. Billy Mays was unexpected. Ed McMahon lived a pretty full life and was really not an unexpected event. Farrah Fawcett has had an ongoing battle with cancer for years, and even knew herself that her time was coming. Michael Jackson, c'mon, with all the personal problems this guy had, he was bound to end early. This should in no way imply that the families feel any less grief, they don't. I feel a sense of sorrow for the surviving families in all four cases.
Well, enough of the news reporting, I'm going camping. Bye for now,

Iranian Streets, Aflame.

Well, unless you've been living under a rock, you might have noticed that there is a bit of unrest within the borders of Iran. A spokesperson for the Iranian government has said that the unrest stems from the outcome of the recent election. He said that the people are upset with the results of the election, not the Iranian Theocracy. I think that similar things have been said throughout history by dictatorships all over the globe. In Beijing, 1989 the students were upset with a couple of policymakers, not the Politburo or the Communist government. They said that shortly after running one of those students over with a tank. Stalin said that Soviet dissidents were upset with some of the policies that had been enforced upon them for the greater good, but that they were not upset with the Communist party. He said that they needed simply to be re-educated. 20 million of them were re-educated to death. Although I can't swear to it, I'm sure Adolph Hitler said something similar about those pesky Jews and eastern Europeans and Gypsies, that he exterminated. Now the Iranians are having their turn at re-education. The Mullahs should be paying attention. The people in the streets are picking up guns from the hands of fallen soldiers and police, and shooting the "Beloved" pasdaran guards that have been sent in to quiet their fears, and to reassure them that the Mullahs are there to protect them. Of course the Iranian people just see the pasdaran guns pointed at them, not the government troops. The people are getting a re-education about living in a dictatorship, and they don't seem to like it much.

All of these governments have one thing in common. They established complete "Gun Control" first. Someone might want to ask ask a survivor how that worked out for them. If you can find one, that is. The only reason that a free society remains free, is if the people within that society have the ablity to defend it. When the government holds all the guns, the people will do as they're told, or die. That's it. No options or mis-understandings. In terms that all Americans will understand, you have a 1st Amendment because you also have a 2nd Amendment to defend it. Don't turn your back on your rights and responsibilities in the hopes that someone else will do all the heavy lifting for you. Stand up and be counted. Defend what's yours. Do it at the ballot box, because if that fails, you'll have to do it in the field of battle, like it or not, and I assure you, you will not like it.

The next time you go in to vote, make sure you have looked into whom you are voting for. Pay attention to your elected leaders at least as much as who the next "American Idol" is going to be. If you can Google a candidate's web page, you can also look up their voting record, or see whether or not they're even eligible to hold the office that they're running for.
We kind of dropped the ball this last time, and we will pay a price for it. How big the price tag will actually be will be determined next year, in the mid term election. Start looking at the people that are running for office, all the way down to the dog catcher. Look at them closely. Due diligence on our part, will prevent the kind of partisan bull$&!t we've had to witness the last 10 years. If you have a person in your area, that is running for the same office that they've held for the six or eight years, vote them the HELL OUT. They're career politicians, now. No matter how they started out, they are no longer representing YOU. They have gotten to the point where they're interests are keeping their job, at any cost. If we keep heading down this path that we're on, of letting the news media and tv ads tell us who to vote for, then we'll soon be in a place where it's we the people, who will be getting the "Re-Education", just like the Iranians.

How about that Iranian Election?

Please tell me that no one was surprised by Ahmadenijad's reaction to his countries election being called questionable by his opponent, and most of the rest of the world. Apparently Mrs. Clinton was surprised, she looks like a Deer caught in the High Beams. This pic really is her reaction to being asked about the Iranian election mess, at the State Department in Washington, on Friday, June 12th 2009.http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/06/13/official-obama-administration-skeptical-irans-election-results/

I really don't see why anyone should really care, anyway. It's not like it was going to make a bit of difference in how we were going to deal with them anyway. Iran is a Theocracy, that means that the country is run by the "Supreme Council" of Mullahs. They are the ones that make the decisions on what actions the government will take, what reforms will be allowed, and how all things will be done. They hand picked who the two candidates would be in the first place. No elected official over there would dare to publicly oppose their divine will. The only reason that the Mullah's allow elections in the first place is because they want the world to see them as a modern, progressive country, and to stop worrying about them getting a nuclear weapon. Please world, stop thinking that Iran spends billions of petro dollars every year supporting terrorist organizations around the world, whose sole objective is to wipe all non believers(that's non-muslims, to you and me) off the face of the planet. Iran is going to continue to do what they have done, ever since Carter screwed it up back in '79. To them, we are the "Great Satan" allowing our women to speak in public, and dress like whores, drive cars, divorce their husbands, be seen in public with a man that is not her husband or father, we are a horrible people and should be exterminated.

If anyone out there believes for one second that you can talk to people like that, and change their minds about you, then you are dangerously naive'. They want us dead. Not because of anything we've done to them, unless you consider MTV, or Desperate Housewives, or Baywatch, or Rap Music, Rock Music, Mini skirts, Playboy, Time, US Weekly, an attack on them. Trust me on this one, liberals, progressives, atheists, they want you dead, FIRST. But hey, I'm just a simple minded, common sense, conservative. There must be a deeper reason than that to want to kill somebody. No, there isn't. Wake up and smell the kuskuss, that's the only real reason they have for hating us. It really is that simple. They claim the crap that they do for the benefit of the rest of the world, to look like they have a legitimate gripe and gain sympathy from Europe. But it's all bullshit. It's all about their theology versus our being infidels. In their interpretation of the Koran, that is reason enough to kill us. So do whatever you want with this, just know that it's the plain and simple truth. Talking to these people will get you killed, if you believe anything they say and act on it.

James von Brunn

A self proclaimed "White Supremacist", "Racist", and "Anti-Semite". Quickly added by the press; the additional label of "Right-Wing". First of all, this guy is a muderer, and an all around hateful individual, who fired on innocent people, killing one, just because he thinks that he is right about how this country should look. That makes him fit with all of the labels that he put on himself. It does not, however fit in with "Right Wing" ideals of individualism. His brand of hatred fits in quite nicely with NAZI ideas that gained popularity in the 30's, and continue on with Neo-Nazi and other hate groups today, but those ideas blanket hatred for a race, or religion, or immigrant groups are collectivist in nature(That's left politics, for the un-informed). The right wing, conservative whacko's, of which I count myself one, believe in the individual, not the group.

Let's just look at a little history, here, shall we? In the 1860's south, after the Civil War was ended, a group formed, calling itself the Ku Klux Klan. It was formed by prominent citizens of the southern states to try to protect those states from the influx of "Carpetbaggers" coming in from the north, who were buying up the lands and estates, of southerners for back taxes. The KKK quickly turned into a bunch of homegrown terrorists and began attacking people because they were a percieved threat to the ideals being hold forth by the "klan". The first Grand Knight of the KKK was a southern general, named Nathan Bedford Forrest. Gen. Forrest quit the klan because of their propensity for violence against the innocent. The reason for the history lesson is that Gen. Forrest, like all his fellow klansmen, was a lifelong Democrat. The only Reublican chapter of the Klan emerged in Indiana in the 1930's, during the depression, and it targeted big businesses and the corrupt poilticians that were enabling them to virtually enslave entire towns. At that same time, in Germany, a group called "The National Socialist Workers Party" was gaining strength under the leadership of a very charismatic Austrian named Adolph Hitler. Also in Germany at that time was a fairly powerful Communist party that was being backed by the Soviet Union and Stalin. The ideals being proposed by the two groups were quite similar, only differing in scope of influence. The communists wanted more governmental control over everything, right away, and the Nazi's were a little more patient about it. The Nazi's and the Communists made an agreement to avoid confusing the two parties with each other; The Nazi's would claim to be on the right, and the Communists would maintain their left affilition. Of course anyone looking onto their politics would see that they were virtually identical and therefore both Left of center on the political landscape, but then again, perception is everything in politics. Both parties believed in the power of the State. Conservatives believe in the power of the individual. There's the difference, folks. Black and white distinctions between left and right.

So, as you can plainly see, this guy, von Brunn, is not a "Right Wing" hater. He is a "Left Wing" hater, regardless of the media, and their NEED to brand him otherwise. They need him branded as "Right Wing" because you just watch the outcry for "Gun Control" that's going to follow this tragedy. The Democrats have been waiting breathlessly for this to happen, and behind closed doors are jumping with joy over it, just like they did with the Columbine High School shootings. I bet they don't wait till the end of the week to start introducing legislation on that. When the politician, probably Sen. Feinstein (D, CA), introduces it, watch for a faint smile, it'll be there. Christopher Cox, from the NRA has been writing some great articles foretelling that very thing. If you get a chance, you really should read them. If your a Freedom loving American, you should take the opportunity to join them, too. They are just about are last hope for sanity in the halls of Congress.

Well, that's all for now. Bye.

P.S. I hope he does not recover from the wounds inflicted on him by the security guard he killed. There is no need to spend the taxpayers money on incarcerating and trying this bag of filth.

DIve the USS Oriskany

http://www.divemightyo.com/



Finally, another blog about the outdoors.
For the SCUBA divers among us, I offer this, The U.S.S. Oriskany.
The "Mighty O" had her keel laid in 1944, but she wasn't completed until 1950. She is, or rather was an Essex Class, AIrcraft Carrier. She was commissioned in 1950, and served proudly through two conflicts, Korea and Vietnam, earning battle stars in both. She was officially decommissioned on the 30th of September, 1976 and her name struck from the Naval Vessel register in 1989.
The ex-ship Oriskany is serving again, this time as an artificial reef off of Pensacola, FL. Sunk in 2006, her keel rests on the bottom, at a depth of 211 ft. That's a bit too deep for the average recreational diver, but an excellent training venue for technical divers. The hangar deck is at a depth of 150 feet, with nice wide open ingress and egress points. The Flight Deck is 130 feet, and the Tower is in 70 feet of water. 70 feet makes it a nice leisurely dive with a lot to see for wreck divers. The hull has been stripped and gutted, and it makes the Mighty "O" a nice training area for Divers wanting to become Wreck certified. Even if you never go inside, having a chance to see, so much history in a new venue, is not something to pass up. Click the link above to learn more.

Chrysler's Going Out Of Business Sale

Is it just me, or does anyone else see a problem with the Chrysler takeov,,,er,,,um,,,I mean Bailout? I'll give Obama credit for one thing, he sure does know how to drive. A corporation right into the ground, that is. Two months since the bailout, and now the federal government is the C.E.O. of Chrysler Motors. The same federal government that can't seem to balance a checkbook is now running a multinational corporation. Obama and company have never actually held a private sector job in their entire lives. Most politicians haven't. The folks over at G.M. better be paying attention, because they're next.
That bunch of leeches in Washington couldn't manage a One-room outhouse, but they thin they can run a business like Chrysler of G.M. This mess is going to make 1933 look like "the Good Ol' Days". I would have thought that a Constitutional Scholar and historian, Editor of the Harvard Law Review, would have been smart enough to learn from historues failures and NOT repeat them, step by bloody step. Mr. Obama, do you actually read this crap before you sign it? Do you actually know what is in your speech before you read the teleprompter? DO you have aCLUE about what your job actually IS? Do us all a favor, get yourself a tutor, before you get us all killed.
You see folks, I not only fear the loss of my second amendment rightsl, I also fear the loss of use of the land that I hunt and fish and camp on. I'm waiting for the announcement that my ATV is damaging the environment for the two headed hrny toad owl, or some other B.S.
Oh, by the way, I certainly hope that everyone can get their money out of the banks that are going to fail,too. If the Government touches it, it breaks. And for anyone reading this that thinks I'm being too harsh on Saint Barry, just take a quick peek at the bonuses that these clwns have paid themselves since Jan 20th, 2009. Start with the bankers, just for fun. But don't forget to look at the politicians, too. That bunch of greedy a&$%@($ have mede millions from their ability to mold the Gumby in Chief to their will. Well, you people asked for him, now you have him. Change we can Believe in, yeah, change my address to "Hoover..." Um I mean "Obamaville", Oregon. I'm in the third lean-to on the left.

Gun control; here we go again?

Has anyone besides myself, and Fox News Channel, been paying attention to what Montana is doing? I know that Texas and Utah are. For those of you that have no IDEA about this subject, let me enlighten you. House Bill No. 246, State of Montana legislature. (J. Boniek, Bennet, Butcher, Curtis, Randall, Warburton, 2009) reads:
An act exempting from federal regulation under the commerce clause of the Constitution of the United States a FIREARM, Firearm Accessory, or AMMUNITION manufactured and retained in Montana; and providing an applicability date.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Montana:
The title of this bill for the still uninformed is "The Montana Firearms Freedom bill. And it passed the legislature and state senate. It currently sits of the Governor's desk, who has promised to sign it.
Cutting through the "legalese", Helena just slapped Washington D.C. in the face. The bill basically says that any firearm, firearm accessory(suppressor, bolt, pins, etc), or ammunition, that is made in Montana, and that will remain in Montana is no longer going to be required to have a serial number, registration paperwork or any notification to the Federal government that it even exists. They have gone so far as to remind the Feds about the last time that states decided to re-assert their sovereignty as interpreted from the 10th amendment. That took place in 1861. I don't think that Montana is threatening secession, at least not yet. The state is, however hinting around it.
To be honest, I don't think that the courts will allow this law to stand. Mainly because there would be no way to verify that a purchased firearm, manufactured in Montana, would remain in Montana. The folks are not walled in, up there. It's really too bad, too(about the law). Both Texas and Utah are watching this one, VERY closely. Both states have similar legislation written and ready to go. I have also heard it reported that South Carolina is considering a similar bill. Watch this one close, boys and girls. It's liable to get very ugly, before all is said and done.
To be fair, the Federal Government does need to be reigned in. They have been overstepping their constitutional authority since the Adams administration, and I don't mean John Quincy Adams, I mean his father. Our US Constitution was meant to be the floor. Any rights guaranteed therein are the minimums and not to be messed with. Of course, the only administration to adhere to those standards was Washington's. THe Constitution says that those first ten amendments, that "Bill of Rights" is supposed to be sacrosanct, untouchable, set in stone. From the beginning of this country, as soon as the Constitution was ratified, legislators, hungry for power, in the name of the public good(emphasis on name, only), have attempted the circumvent every one of those rights, at one time or another. Some worse than others and I'm not going to point fingers, they have all engaged in that behavior at one time or another. So, maybe a little seccesionist thought might be good for us, after all. It just might give the Fed's a wake up call. It sure did last time. Four years, 350,000 lives, and an entire region of the country, that is just now seeing recovery, 164 years later. And what did the wake up call cause the Fed's to do? Federalize, everything they could. Washington, under Lincoln, made the biggest power grab that this country had ever seen, up to that point. The Federal power consolidation of 1865 made European potentates envious.
I'm just saying, Montana, Utah, Texas and South Carolina, be careful what you wish for. You just might get it. The problem that I have with that is, I know which side I'll be on, and I know that side can't win. No matter how much public support that my side of this might have, their side has Tanks, and Assault Helicopters and Strike Aircraft, and the backing of the Constitution, which every Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine, and Coast Guardsman, swore an OATH to support and defend, against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Even when the administration in power is wrong, the Constitution is not. Thomas Jefferson wrote "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of Patriots and Tyrants alike". I can see the direction of the winds, I know they're destination. I just don't like it.
Mister Obama, are you paying attention? Your proposed Social agendas will put the punk to the fuse, if you're not. At this moment, you have to overcome a LOT of doubt about your loyalties. If you guess wrong, you really will have a mess on you hands. Good luck, bro'.

What was I thinking?

After reading my last post, I have come to the conclusion that computers should come with a sobriety check meter. I am going to leave it up, if only to remind myself that I am human, and not all knowing. In other words, I can make an ass of myself, quite easily. I have known for years that it is never ok to drink and drive. I suppose it should have been unnecessary to mention that drinking and posting was also a bad idea. WOW. Well live and learn.

San Diego, Earthquake.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef011570901929970b-pi
According to the L.A. Times, a 4.7 magnitude earthquake shook the Greater Los Angeles area, earlier today. The epicenter was located near the town of Lennox, CA. a community located in the south bay area of L.A. Not a huge one as California quakes usually go, but enough knock down a few pictures off of the walls and give everyone a short wake up call.
The over abundance of seismic activity was one of the reasons that I moved out of the state of my birth, so many years ago. That, and the over abundance of socialist, nanny-state, politicians and the sheep that vote for them. Honestly, with the policies that are coming out of Sacramento, and the ground shacking, why would anyone want to live in that "Hell-Hole"? Ok, they have great weather. most of the time, and contrary to popular opinion, California do'es enjoy all four seasons: Wind, Fire, Flood and Mud. What more could anyone ask for? It sure sounds like paradise to me.
I wonder how long it will take to get real aid down to the area. That aid should consist mainly of building inspectors, of course. It won't be that, because that would make sense, and we are talking about California, after all. Knowing that bunch of over educated morons in Sacramento, they'll probably send Traumatic Grief coucilers and emergency rations down, on the double, and on the taxpayers dime. Maybe they can get Sean Penn on his rowboat, again. If they do, he had better leave his shotgun at home. he'd get arrested for it there. Oh,,, maybe not. We are talking Sean Penn, after all. One of the "Elite" citizens of California, to whom the rules don't apply.
As a card carrying member of the "Un-washed Masses", I'm glad I moved out of that state. I kind of like making decisions about my life, myself. Thinkng like that does not go over too well in the " Democratic Peoples Republic of California". To anyone who was actaully hurt by the quake, I say, dont worry, your booboo will heal. If anyone is seriously claming that they're hurt worse than something that can fixed with a band-aid, then they should be locked up for fraud.
Is it becoming clear that I don't have a lot of respect for California, yet? If not, Get your eyes checked. 4.7, sheesh. I can't believe that they even bothered to report that. I am glad it was a small one, but seriously, you live on a FAULT LINE! MOVE AWAY!

Obama slashes budeget.

On the surface this might sound like a good idea. That is until you hear what budget he'e slashing. The Obama administration is cutting the Public Safety Officers death benefits program from $110 million to $60 million, according to the Associated Press. The move was made because the number of poilice and safety offer deaths in the line of duty is decreasing, according to the budget documents. A spokeswoman for the Justice Department said that " Any families that are eligible for benefits under this program, will receive them".
Why dont we take a look at this story, a little closer? "The budget for this benefit is being cut because the number of officer deaths in the line of duty is decreasing". Actually, the number of deaths of public safety officer in the line of duty is up 21% over the same period for last year. Is President Obama claivoyant? Does he know through intuition that these numbers will drop suddenly? Has his administration been made promises from the DIRTBAGS that have been killing cops, that now they'll be good boys and girls? NO, of course not.
It really is just Barry, the annointed one, showing his true colors, once again. Public Safety officers are not a big favorite in the "Community", so why should there be any benefit for their families after they die? "I mean, hell, if they weren't down there harrassing them innocent crack dealers in the first place, they wouldn't have gotten killed, right?"
Barry, Barry, Barry, you are not going to foster much support from the people that you need to laytheir lives on the line for you, by diong things like this. Who is next on the budget block? Firemen, E.M.S. workers, Secret Service? We al know from your past performance that the Welfare Budget is in no danger. Let's increase expenditures for health care for illegal alien immigrants and their extended families, we'll just take the money from the fallen officers fund.
What a way to lead, Mr. President.

The Space Shuttle launches, again.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,519609,00.html#
Well, the shuttle launches, one more time. To the crew members, we wish you a safe and successful journey. This posting however is not about that. It's about the government finally trying to end the virtual monopoly that NASA has had on manned spaceflight. This idea was proposed back in 2003,and approved by Pres. Bush. Congress finally got around to it this week, and it's about bloody time. The savings in gov't spending alone make this a good idea. Putting orbital flight into the hands of the private sector, a competitive marketplace, should reduce costs and improve safety. As long as NASA maintains final inspection oversight, this should do well. The fact is that, gov't contractors have learned over the decades that they can milk a contract for years, and millions of dollars in cost over runs, and the gov't happily whips out the Ol' public money checkbook. Then we, that's you and I folks get stuck with the bill, AGAIN. The exploration of space, and eventual basing on the moon, are probably a very good idea. ord knows, we need the room. Let's allow for the free and open discussion of ideas, for real. Take it out of NASA's control and give to private companies that can do the job.
The congress has used the term "Outsourcing" for this, and that is truly the only part of this that makes me nervous. I mean, it's bad enough when the radio call begins with "Houston, we have a problem", but how bad is it going to get is that call has to begin with "New Delhi, we have a problem,, I need to speak to a technician, please"? That scenario would not be good.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,519609,00.html

Alices Restaraunt

As the memorial day weekend approaches I'm reminded that, once again we'll get to be treated to the legendary, Arlo Guthrie's riveting "Alice's Restaraunt", all 27 minutes and 34 seconds of it. It's like watching a marathon. You know it's a big deal, or was at the time. It does have a tradition behind it. You just don't want to sit through it all. The story in the song is humurous, but what a set-up.
Now I'm usually someone who loves tradition. I really do. Traditions are something that reminds all of us, just who we are. Some traditions are familial and they can be modified through the generations of family members. Like my families tradition of camping on Mother's day, and Thanksgiving. These have been modified a bit lately, because my parents are not as yhoung as they used to be. We'll probably get back to the old way, just not too soon, I hope. Some traditions are national. The fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Memorial day, you get the idea. These tend to stay pretty much unchanged at the "Big Picture" level. Some small changes do occur over time, but usually only with individuals or small groups. The other category of traditions is religious or spiritual. Chistmas, Chanukka(sorry for the misspelling), Easter, Passover, etc. These don't change except by crisis. Literally. Nor should they.
I am not a big fan of telling others how they should observe their traditions. Don't thrust them on me, and you can do what you want. If it has been determined over time that a traditional day is now a holiday, so much the better. Everyone likes a paid day off. If it is a traditional day that you don't personally observe, that's fine. Just shut up and don't ruin it for everyone else. The freedom to do all of this was bought and paid for, long ago, and is still being paid today. By the men and women that we remember on Memorial day. If you don't want to honor them and their sacrifice, ok. But at least show a little respect. Don't ruin it for everyone else.
Let's all try to remember, that although we all have the right to express our opinions, not everyone is going to agree with them. Face it, an opinion is a lot like a rectum. Everybody has one. Oh, and as for "Alice's Restaraunt", can we have the edited version, PLEASE?

Dom DeLuise, The Passing of a Legend.

I'll keep this short and not too overly sweet. The Washington Post reported this morning that, Actor/Comedian Dominick "Dom" DeLuise died at 75.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2009/05/05/GA2009050502218.html. All that I am going to add to this is, Thank you, Mr. DeLuise. I had a ball watching you on screen. You provided a needed relief from the everyday world, and you will be remembered, well. Safe Journey, God Speed.

Mother's Day

It seems that another year has passed. I know this, because my wife just reminded me that Mother's Day is nigh. I don't know about the rest of you, but I sort of like this one. Mothers around the globe have really earned it. One special day that is all theirs. Of course we guys still expect them to cook and clean and take care of us like every other day of the year, but on this day, we remember to say "Thank You". I don't know for sure, but I think my Mom is hoping that Dad will kick down some cash, instead( to be perfectly honest, I think she's got a point, there). All B.S. aside, my folks have been making it work for 61 years, come this July, and I still have no idea how they've done it.
Now, what does all that have to do with outdoor living, you must be asking about now. Well, for the bulk of my childhood, this weekend was spent in a campground. Not always the same one, they changed over the years, but camping just the same. It was for a time , a big family get together, Dads sister and her family, and his parents(sadly my mothers family had passed by then or lived out of state). We would take over one large area of the campground for the lot of us. I often ask myself, whatever happened to the old traditions? Part of the answer is, we grew up. We grew up and apart, and moved on with our respective lives. We had families of our own, and we made new traditions. We still talk, or more appriate for the modern age, e-mail. We still think of ourselves as close. And we are, I suppose, by modern standards, anyway. But, I kinda miss the whole physical contact thing.
Well, enough of that, I've got some phone calls to make. Mom, happy mother's Day. Oh,,,and , you might wanna put the leaf in the dining room table. I have a feeling there are going to be a few extra people to seat, this year. Bye .

Modern Politics and Foriegn Policy

Checking out the news, I've noticed that St. Barry, The Annointed, is beggining to get favorable press again. The reporters no longer have to lament his blunders on foriegn policy, due to his lack of experience. Not that he's gotten any better with it, no. It's just that they can concentrate on his pursuit of the trivial. http://rothkopf.foreignpolicy.com/node/17023 As long as all he has to do is stand before a bank of microphones, read his speech from the teleprompter, and make it look like he's thinking on his feet, they're golden. He says nothing he can be nailed down on, and they report whatever the hell they think it means. Perfect storm. He says nothing, they report something, and we, like good little sheep, graze on it. No questions asked. Not that they'd be answered anyway, but I digress.
I really would like to know if any one has a clue, about where this guy wants to take this country. I wonder if he knows, yet. I have a pretty good idea about what he wants to do to us, but not a clue about what he wants to do, for us. I think I'll just sit back, grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy the show. I mean, it's not like any of us can do anything about the important stuff, anyway. We don't have much of a voice anymore. There's way too much stacked against anyone with, true, common sense, getting heard. If congress get their way with that farce of a "Fairness Doctrine", there won't even be blogs that disagree with them. NO NO, you can't say that. "Thought Police" here we come. Oh...wait. We already have the "Thought Police". I completely forgot about "Hate Crime" legislation. Silly me. Yup, I'm just gonna sit back in my bunker, with my too many guns, and watch the whole world go to hell in a handbasket. I may even reach out and tie a bow on the basket's handle as it goes by, just to show that I really do have compassion and a sense of style. Well, coffee's done and the iron door hinges are freshly oiled, so, bye bye for now.

Guns

If you've watched the news or read a newspaper lately, the word "Guns" should scare you to death. They're everywhere, guns in our schools, guns on our streets, no one is safe. It seems that, with the proliferation of firearms in this world, death waits around every corner. My goodness, all you have to do is read the numbers. 20 million people, dead in Russia. 6 million dead, in Germany. 5 million dead, in China. 1 million dead, in Cambodia. When will it end?

Oh, wait,,, my mistake. Those dead were all living in countries with dictatorial governments and strict gun laws that made it impossible for an individual to possess a firearm. OOPS, my bad. Apparently they were all killed by their governments for daring to disagree with it. It seems that since their respective governments had made guns illegal, they had absolutely no way to defend themselves against that government. The Result; wholesale slaughter.

Look, banning guns isn't the answer. In fact, it's not even a realistic possibility. The answer would be to, a.) Enforce the laws that we already have on the books. They really are a LOT more restrictive and punitive than you might think. And b.) Safe and responsible gun ownership. Face it, if you choose to excersise your 2nd Amendment RIGHT, to keep and bear arms, then it is your RESPONSIBILITY to do so in a safe and reasonable manner. Trust me on this, if you kee[ a gun in your haouse, and you have kids over the age of 2, they know EXACTLY where it is. So, lock it up. Keep the keys to the lock on you, not lying around. Or better yet, keep the weapon on your person. You'll always know where it is, that way. No chance of your toddler grabbing it and accidently killing themselves with it, and best of all, if something occurs, and you need it, you already have it.

Lastly, and then I'll get off of my soapbox, I promise, if you choose to be resposible for your own safety(New Orleans, after Katrina, proved you can't rely on anyone else for it), get some training. Check out this link
alt="Front Sight - World's Premiere Training for Self Defense and Personal Safety"
width="300" height="250" border="0" title="Front Sight" /> They're the best available. But, if you choose not to use this facility, choose another one, just choose one and get trained. The information gleened from it is worth the time and expense, all by itself. You'll feel better about having the knowledge and skills to take care of yourself. Check them out for yourself, you'll see. http://www.frontsight.com/

Outdoor Living

Fellow Campers,
I just spent a wonderful weekend with friends and family in the beautiful woods of southern Oregon. For myself, adventure gear was kept to a minimum, for me any way. I had a tent, sleeping bag, gas stove and lantern, oh yeah, and a queen size air mattress. Look, I said it was minimal for me, ok? This Mini Vacation was made possible through the wonders of on-line shopping, for the most part. The majority of my outdoor gear is aquired in this way. For some time sensitive and specific items, Wal-Mart fills the void. Face it, their prices and selection are tough to beat, and their Ozark Trail brand is of a good, solid quality, at a reasonable price. Now, for the record, even some of the Wal-Mart items were purchased online(they have a good website, too). Even the spot we picked to camp was decided through online means. Google Maps and Google Earth, gotta love 'em.

Ok, so anyway, we made our trip "Old School Primitive", dry camping. No running water(If you don't count the creek), no "facilities". You know, CAMPING. NOw some of you may have noticed that I have not said word one, about hiking. There's a very good reason for that. My idea of a good hike is to walk from my tent, to my ATV, then ride the rest of the way. Lazy, I know, but a lotta fun, and my one concession to the modern world on this trip. We rode for miles on those rutted out BLM trails, it was beautiful. My riding partner and tent mate for this trip, Otis, a 5 year old Basset Hound, thoroughly enjoyed his "Daddy Time" and all those new smells(not to mention the trees).

The food was great, and the fellowship, even better. Nothing like living in the great outdoors, even if it's only for the weekend. If you ever get the chance, take it. It's worth it. And as for the location, well, southern Oregon has a LOT to offer. Only a few yards of the beaten path, I would venture a guess that you'd be steeping on ground that has not seen human traffic in a very long time. The numbers and variety of wildlife in the area is spectacular. From deer to wild turkeys, elk, black bears, and even the occasional cougar.

For those of you who want to know more, from novices who aren't sure what to take or how to set up camp, to the more seasoned campers, who want to hone their skills, I found a great website with all kinds of information for you. It's at http://djbinternationalllc.com/ It's worth a look around.

Well, that's all for now. Talk to you after my next adventure into the great outdoors. Bye All.