Questions and Answers.......................

After commenting on one of >Peaceonthat posts, a fellow blogger that I disagree with on quite a few issues, but respect immensely, I was asked the following questions by Mikecch:

mikecch said...
BoldAre you of military age? Have you ever served in any branch of the military? If not, sign up. The Bush administration has extended the enlistment age to 42. Or are you like the people you are defending--not willing to serve but is more than willing to have other people fight and die for you. James, great blog. Keep it up.
1:57 PM


To Mikecch,
I am 43. Yes, I served in the Army- “82-86”. Combat Medic. If you ever visit San Antonio, Texas, slide by Fort Sam Houston. Fort Sam Houston is one of the few military installations where you will see buildings named after lower ranking enlisted personnel, this is an honor that is usually reserved for generals and such. These buildings are memorials to brave Combat Medics that died saving their fellow soldiers during battle. Fort Sam Houston is the place where they received their training. During training you are constantly reminded of their ultimate sacrifice- Some of these men would receive the Medal of Honor, posthumously. It’s a humbling experience, to walk the corridors of the Academy of Health and Sciences, hearing and seeing the stories of bravery everywhere. We had alot to live up to. Being known as and called "Doc" by the soldiers I supported was a honor I take pride in to this day.


My Father was career military, he achieved the rank of Command Sergeant Major, He was Airborne his whole career and did two tours in Vietnam. My Father had five sons, five sons that due to his military service and deeds had access to the military academies. I was the only son that ended up in the military, inadvertently. My brothers and I grew up seeing the sacrifices soldiers make and didn’t want any part of it. I ran out of college funds and thought the military would be a great way to get the rest of the money I needed, plus I figured my love of travel could be satisfied in the process. By not pursuing a military career from the start, which would have meant going to one of the academies, I enlisted and started at ground zero-PVT-1- and as anyone out there that has served in the military knows, being an officer has a lot more privileges than being enlisted. The prospect of basic training intrigued me, and I looked forward to it- man was I dumb. A funny thing happened while I was hustling Uncle Sam for college money, ahem…serving my country. I started to appreciate the dedication with which career soldiers serve our country. I came to hold the men and women that served before me, with me, and to this day, those after me, in great respect. It is by and large a thankless job that is truly appreciated only by those who have done it, those that know the work. You damned sure don’t do it for the money- hell I got shot at for 895.00 dollars a month, and since it was not a, “declared conflict”, yet there were rules of engagement, no combat pay was included, but I’d do it again if I had to do it over.

The military inspired in me a level of self –discipline I never dreamt of, a sense of what I was truly capable of. All the petty bullshit and whining that most 20ish young men go through was bypassed. I would come to learn just how cheap life was viewed in some places of this world. My military career lasted 4 years. It was the deal (contract) I made with the Army, and we parted ways. At the end of my enlistment I had a college fund to tap into and the Army had me on inactive reserves for another 2 years. It was a win-win situation for all concerned.

I still have friends that serve in the military. They, most are in their 40’s and are nearing retirement age, have participated in the Iraq war from the beginning- Oh, they also participated in Desert Storm, that U.N. cluster-fuck in Bosnia, and various and assorted missions that aren’t generally kept up with by the public. When I talk about this war on terror and the need to fight it, I am mindful of my friends, very mindful. I fear for their safety but they, like when I was a soldier, volunteered for the job and its consequences. I often hear Liberals accuse President Bush of taking our soldiers lives for granted, of not giving them what they need, of not having a clear plan for them to follow. I ask this, if all that is true, why do soldiers like him so much? I’ll tell you why, the same reason we liked Ronald Regan, the respect he has for the military is genuine and soldiers can pick up on it real well. Soldiers couldn’t stand Bill Clinton, nor his desire to screw the military, yeah, soldiers understood exactly what he stood for. The only good decision Clinton made concerning the military was to basically give a name to the policy that was already in effect in the military concerning gays- don’t ask, don’t tell. Concerning gays in the military, I’ve never understood what being a good soldier had to do with whether one was heterosexual or homosexual.

So, when I talk about war, troops, and all things military, keep in mind, I served and took the risks. Unfortunaty I have experienced the duty of processing Dead American Soldier’s bodies- let’s talk about dead American Soldiers for a minute. Dead American Soldiers to Liberals represent an issue to be used to undermine the war effort. I’m going to give you some insight on dead American Soldiers- soldiering is primarily a young man’s game, by that I mean the boots on the ground. As you age in your military career you move up the ladder into command positions that supposedly are less risky-but you can still find quite a few 30-40 year olds out on patrol, but its mostly youngsters doing the job. With that being the facts, most of the causalities are young men and women under the age of 27, fit, in the prime of their youth. It’s a strange, unreal sight to see such youth no longer alive, especially when you saw them the day before clowning around and joking. The best comparison outside of warfare would be the senseless slaughter of young black males that revolves around the drug trade- such a waste. Think twice about saying or doing anything that makes our soldier’s job harder or more dangerous. It’s the least one can do as an American.

Later’

It's almost that time, again..............

“THE INCOME TAX HAS MADE MORE LIARS OUT OF AMERICAN PEOPLE THAN GOLF HAS”- Will Rodgers


Yeah, Ole' Will told the truth. The closer the end of the year gets, the more pissed off I get- especially with every Tom, Dick, and Liberal openly stating if given the chance they will reverse all tax cuts, and increase them to boot.

Later'

Historical Reality........................

Whenever a people, or a nation becomes weak, it has ended up extinct or enslaved. This is an historical rule that holds true to this very day. There have been no exceptions to this rule. History is filled with examples of this rule, examples of great societies that were lighthouses of knowledge, yet they became weak and fell prey to a stronger less enlightened society.

As young children we are taught the history of America, a history of a native people being conquered by a foreign people, a history of white Europeans taking the sacred land, we are taught the plight of the noble savage, living in harmony with the land. It’s all bullshit. The history of earth as well as America is the history of conquering and being conquered.
Long before the white man ever dreamt of this distant land, the individual tribes of America were conquering each other, forming large dominant nations that took the best and most bountiful land from weaker tribes. The Comanche’s drove the Apaches out of what is known today as Texas into the arid southwest. It was there in that arid, unforgiving land, that the Apaches would emerge a nation of warriors that would prey upon the southwest, raiding deep into Mexico for a living- yep, the Apache raided for a living, if you were weak, your ass was theirs.

Of course we all know the history of the rise and fall of Rome. Rome, corrupt and weak, became a push over for the same barbarians that they had swatted aside like flies at the height of their powers. Genghis Khan and his horde rode out of the steppes and conquered everything they saw, they were stopped only by large geographical boundaries-oceans mainly. China lived under the rule of Mongol Khans for centuries- that is until the Mongols became weak enough for the Chinese to overthrow. Those of us that are descended from black African slaves here in America are a result of the rule. Stronger tribes sold weaker tribes into slavery. Do the numbers, just how many white men would it have taken to capture and enslave the 12-14 million Africans it is estimated to have been taken from West Africa.(some historians put the figures much higher) The coastal areas would have been the first places to become scarce of human cargo. This would have forced the whites to march farther inland and against a hostile people, and they would have had to do so for over 400 years. History, history that is often omitted by some, shows that we were captured, kept alive and marched to the areas where it was known that white men bought slaves. Ironically Africa was, and some say still is, the last outpost of human bondage.

Recent history has taught us that there is no such thing as” peace in our time”, Neville Chamberlain forgot the rule. Hitler didn’t, and he and his Nazi thugs damned near conquered all of Europe. There just happened to be a strong, free, and resourceful nation by the name of the United States of America that came to the rescue of Europe during its darkest hours. Oh, and by the way, it wasn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last.

My Liberal brothers and sisters refuse to acknowledge this rule of history. They insist on living in an alternative reality where if one has kind thoughts and wishes for their fellowman all will be well. They ignore the lessons of history, like so many have done in the past, and oppose anyone that sees the world for what it is. They actively politicize our very safety, in hopes of gaining power to enact their flawed ideals. They call for abandoning a job our military started, much like they did in Vietnam, without regard to the people we have sold the idea of freedom to. To this day my Liberal brothers and sisters have not taken responsibility for abandoning the people of the Republic of South Vietnam, a people that were killed in greater numbers after we turned our backs on them, and they want us to commit this mistake again, with the Iraqis.

Emboldened by flimsy polls worded for certain responses by a Liberal press, spurred on by the fraudulent double talk of their leaders, my Liberal brothers and sisters fail to understand why they continue to loose elections, they fail to understand that most Americans see the world for what it is- a place where a aggressive, deadly enemy is probing for weakness. To my Liberal brothers and sisters, America is not going to make the same mistake again. There is great irony in the present state of Liberal America. Liberal America only exists because there are good men and women standing by to do violence to protect their right to be so got-damned silly. Ain’t that a bitch.

Later’

Have A Happy Thanksgiving......

As my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, draws nearer, I can’t help but think about the past Thanksgivings of my life. They were all great with one exception, the Thanksgiving of 2002. That year was the most challenging year of my life.

The year 2002 will always be remembered as the year I lost the best friend I’d ever had and probably ever will have, my Mother. Late October of 2002 was the end of a 15 month long battle in which my Mother fought against a vicious form of breast cancer. My Mother always lived life on her on terms, and would do so even while dying. Born shortly after the great depression into a farming family (sharecroppers) in Rural Georgia, Her prospects for life would have had to seem daunting to the modern day social engineers that seem to be as thick as fleas these days, yet she exceeded all expectations. She met My father, a career military man, traveled the world, established frienships with people of all walks of life-and maintained some of those friendships up until the day she died, raised five great sons, further educated herself, and had some of the most eclectic interests and tastes for a country girl- My mother basically lived a hell of a life.

See, even though my Mother left us shortly before Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving is still my favorite holiday because of the great memories and for the following reasons- I am so thankful for having been one of the five sons of my Mother, thankful for Her encouragement when I had doubts, thankful for Her teaching me how to live-------and how to die.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, I will.

Later’

A Damned Good Idea............................

“Congressmen who willfully take action during wartime that damage morale and undermines the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged.”

-Abraham Lincoln

Honest Abe was right on the money. It's time we faced reality about what our own elected officials are doing.
Later'

ALL ABOARD.......................

“Please don't miss this train at the station
Cause if you miss it, I feel sorry, sorry for you “ Love Train- The O’jays”

Yep, as I have said before,” the Underground Railroad is alive and well”. Mr. Derek Wallace, head of the Orlando chapter Of the NAACP, has caught the train and run off the Democrat plantation. Mr. Wallace, a construction company executive, said His business life was a big factor in his decision. Hm…. A Republican NAACP chapter, I suspect all the heating and air men and women that ended up in Hell are trying their damnedest to re-light the pilot light. Check the article out- http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/columnists/orl-maxwell1705nov17,0,2971218.column?coll=orl-news-col

Train rides require a ticket. In the 1700’s and 1800’s, tickets were distributed by word of mouth, slave to slave. Conductors risked life and livelihood ensuring that passengers riding the train had somewhere safe to stop, somewhere they could rest and gather their wits- riding on the Underground railroad was serious business back then.

These days tickets to ride on the Underground Railroad come in many forms. Some people, unable to support the liberal agenda concerning the killing of unborn children, use the abortion ticket. Some people, dismayed at the amount of money that is taken from their earnings, use the Tax ticket. I suspect being a business man Mr. Wallace redeemed one of these tickets. Some people, having spent the better part of the last 30 years hearing the same ole’ tired Liberal excuses, use the, “just dayum” ticket. Yes, there is a ticket for just about every need.

In spite of the availability of tickets, it’s still dangerous to redeem one. Mr. Wallace is going to find out in the coming weeks that a Republican chapter of the NAACP is one chapter too many. Already Democrat Leader Tom Shea questioned Mr. Wallace’s decision saying, "I'm a little confused. Are we talking about the National Association for the Advancement of Construction Professionals -- or Colored People?" I’ll admit, Tom got off a good one, but jokes aside, Tom and other Democratic Leaders can’t afford for Mr. Wallace to succeed. They know that if Mr. Wallace is successful, there can be four or five Republican NAACP chapters by this time next year.

Just like Ol’ Massa, the Democrats have to keep their chattel ignorant, isolated, and afraid to leave the plantation, afraid to loose what little they have. They understand, like Ol’ Massa did, that once the word gets out that the Train is running, all hell will break loose. And like Ol’ Massa, they are going to do all they can to stop it.


Later’

Ladies, Give Him what He wants.............

I just thought this was funny.

Later'

Murderous NeoCons.............................

Peaceonthat was one of the first people I became aware of to express anger at President George Bush’s speech on Veterans Day. He was the first of quite a few people I know that, putting it mildly, despised the fuck out of W's speech. I immediately back-tracked and re-read the speech. It was a pretty good speech considering Bush is not a charismatic speaker, Okay, Bush has very limited speaking skills, but that’s nothing new. There was one single thing that all the people I know that hated the speech had in common, their displeasure of Bush finally addressing all the bullshit that the Democrats have laid at his feet concerning the reasoning we went to war. There is not one inaccurate statement that President Bush said in his speech, not one. It is my opinion President Bush did not re-write history in his speech . See excerpt of speech below.


"While it is perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began. Some Democrats and anti-war critics are now claiming we manipulated the intelligence and misled the American people about why we went to war. These critics are fully aware that a bipartisan Senate investigation found no evidence of political pressure to change the intelligence community's judgments related to Iraq's weapons programs. They also know that intelligence agencies from around the world agreed with our assessment of Saddam Hussein.
They know the United Nations passed more than a dozen resolutions citing his development and possession of weapons of mass destruction. Many of these critics supported my opponent during the last election, who explained his position to support the resolution in the Congress this way: 'When I vote to give the President of the United States the authority to use force, if necessary, to disarm Saddam Hussein, it is because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a threat, and a grave threat, to our security.' That's why more than 100 Democrats in the House and the Senate, who had access to the same intelligence voted to support removing Saddam Hussein from power.
"The stakes in the global War on Terror are too high, and the national interest is too important, for politicians to throw out false charges. These baseless attacks send the wrong signal to our troops and to an enemy that is questioning America's will. As our troops fight a ruthless enemy determined to destroy our way of life, they deserve to know that their elected leaders who send them to war continue to stand behind them. Our troops deserve to know that this support will remain firm when the going gets tough. And our troops deserve to know that whatever our differences in Washington, our will is strong, our Nation is united, and we will settle for nothing less than victory."


The problem is too many people have been fed the same lie over and over by Democrat talking heads- the same talking heads that supported going to war in the first place. See, these politicians saw the intelligence and knew that Saddam was up to no damned good, yet they also knew they could play both sides of the fence on the issue- Kerry, Kennedy, Hillary, they all gave the go ahead knowing full well if at any given time things did not turn up like the reports indicated they could make serious political hay. They understood that they were in a win-win situation, if all the intelligence turned out accurate, they where on the right side, if it didn’t, hell, they could claim they were lied to. They also understood that at any given time if the war went badly they could call for pulling out our troops.


I think most peoples objection to going to war is basically because of the “ the pre-emptive strike concept”. This is a policy that many people can not get with, I myself am all for it, I guess that makes me a’ Murdering Neocon’, so be it. I simply refuse to allow anyone a first strike, hit me first, opportunity against America. The stakes are too high these days considering dirty bombs and designer viruses and germs that are available to anyone with the will and cash. The old paradigm is obsolete, and just because a Muslim terrorist lives in a cave and shuns the conveniences of this technology filled world we live in, it does not mean he is ignorant of its uses.


I also don’t care about these so-called coalitions, all the real heavy lifting America has done in the past concerning freeing up whole continents from tyranny was without coalitions. If the truth is to be said you could put together the world’s largest coalition and America would still have the same responsibilities as usual- Supply the cash and arms, plus do the fighting. We are the world’s only super power, that big ass army in China is a accident waiting to happen, China has serious trouble feeding itself , that and many more problems that would limit their ability to project a war effort across the world and sustain it. Yes, they can launch missiles and demonstrated with their new space program that no place in the world is safe from their nukes, but defeating a nation that can shoot back, like us, requires more than nuclear muscle. If not they would have kicked it of already.



Peaceonthat and others have indicated that we NeoCons have not supported our troops- There is a axiom that says, “you go to war with the army you have at the time” I submit that is what we did and there is a ongoing effort to better equip our troops as time goes on. What I find amazing is it is a known documented fact that there is one party in America that has consistently withheld funding from the military and at times this seriously undermined their missions. You can’t spend your whole political career denying the military and then turn around and criticize someone else when you find out that some units lack armored Humvees- shit the money just wasn’t there to equip all the units with amoured Humvees. The military should not be given a blank check, but it should not have to scuffle for funding like it did during the Clinton years. As far as benefits for soldiers and Vets are concerned, Democrats have long known that it’s a demographic that you can screw and they can’t do much about it. When Republicans by and large cut soldiers benefits it’s a serious budget crunch with hard choices to be made, but when they can they try to increase funding-sort of like a payback.

As far as over-extending our National Guard, this sound bite originated during the Katrina disaster, and no amount of National Guardsmen available could have mitigated the fuck up on the local and state levels. Let’s supposed you had 8,000 helicopters on hand within hours of the levees breeching- the limited airspace in New Orleans, and the slow, meticulously dangerous nature of the rescues would have kept 7,500 of them grounded. Couple this logistical issue with the Governor of Louisiana’s refusal to relinquish control, which resulted in not having a centralized command structure, the ineptitude of Fema, and you have what we saw any damned way.


Let’s deal with back-door drafts and prisoner torture. There is no such thing as a back-door draft. Extending a soldiers tour and or enlistment is nothing new. It even happens during peace time. I’ve personally known fellow soldiers that were in fields that were dangerously under strength and had their enlistments extended a year- yes, they were pissed, but most soldiers, that is the ones that actually read their contracts(yes you sign a contract when you enlist) are aware of this possibility. I was sent to Central America in the early eighties for a six month hardship tour that ended up getting extended to a year. The ultimate extension happens during a huge global conflict like WWll, it’s simply stated as” for the duration”, which meant to the GI’s of that time “until this bitch is over”


Prisoner torture is not a United States of America Military sanctioned action- it occurs when soldiers start making their own rules. Every soldier gets it drilled into their head to follow orders during basic training, or Officers candidate school, the Academies deal with this also. Following orders is essential in the Military, but one of the first things you learn is you are not obligated to follow an order that you know to be unlawful, the excuse of following orders doesn’t work. My problem with the prisoner torture, and we are talking about Abu Garib, it was treated as a Bush administration problem. No, these things happen under a weak or incompetent Commander in the field, sometimes just a plain evil Commander. It must not be tolerated and the guilty have to be punished. There is one effective thing you can do to eliminate prisoner torture, hold the Commanders responsible primarily. Never have I seen a President held responsible for acts of torture that soldiers in the field commit. Like most Democrat accusations this one is a hell of a stretch.

There is something that is truly depressing that is happing more and more these days- Black people calling Black people of different political beliefs Uncle Toms. This shit needs to stop. First of all it makes light of all the accomplishments made by Condi Rice and Colin Powell, you would be hard pressed to find anyone that is a member of the Black Caucus that has achieved as much, gone as far, and been as influential as these two individuals. At one time two of the most powerful people in the world at the same fucking time were Condi and Colin. Bill Clinton never dream of giving that much power to anyone of color, unless you consider that shit He tossed to Ron Brown real power, and it got him killed. Make no mistake, these two individuals did and do their own thinking, Colin went against his boss on several occasions.


Most people believe Colin Powel left the administration because of the intelligence he was given, but most insiders in the beltway say Colin left because his previous and ongoing relationships with several Saudi Princes would be a serious liability for the Bush administration in the long run. The Media left knew and hinted at it on several occasions, and much like the Democrat Senators they knew they had a win-win situation, if Colin stayed on they were going to crucify his ass, if he left then they were going to hype it up as division between him and Bush. He left. You will more than likely not see Colin Powell in politics again, at least not on the level he was once involved in, Colin and his Family made a lot of sacrifices during his long Military career and I don’t think he wants to subject his Family to what passes as politics these days. I can understand.


As far as the Valerie Plame CIA leak goes, Hell, Her husband blew her cover long before this shit grew legs, introducing her at parties as His wife" the spy". Scooter is indicted for lying, not blowing someone’s cover. The special Investigator has His hands full now that more and more people are coming out saying that it was widely known in Washington circles that Valerie worked for the CIA. The same people he had the opportunity to talk to, but elected not to, before he filed charges. It’s just more political hay being made by the Democrats- they are good at making hay where no straw grows, or so they think. All the accusations they make get headlines and then die, why, bullshit doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. Anyone can make accusations, but when it’s time to prove them and you can’t, it all collapses. Democrats count on a forgetful, ignorant America, one that doesn’t research the issues. For a long while they had a monopoly of info, the left leaning Media. The rise of Talk radio and the internet has undermined their ability to blow smoke up America’s collective asses, and they can’t stand not being able to do so.


When we invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam Hussein our mission there took on a new role, its similar to your doctor peforming surgery on you to remove a tumor, and while inside of you he finds additional tumors-does he remove the one he was aware of and close you up- nope he gets all of them. Besides you don’t de-stabilize an area and walk away, not unless it is your plan to create chaos. It is My and many others opinion that this war on terror is the most important thing we will do in the next twenty years. These terrorist bastards can inflict much damage upon America up to and including destroying our economy, they planned to do just that, long before we ever dreamed of invading Iraq, as a matter of fact 911 was the kick off of that goal, they just didn’t count on President Bush bringing the war to them .They under estimated George W. Bush, just like the Democrats do on a regular basis. I believe when the history of these times is written, it will show that we Neocons were right. In the meantime those of us that do not agree, we will duke it out at the voting booths.

Later’

Tofu Turkey..................................

I was online today, doing my thang, when I ran across an article of Shirley Jones. You remember the “Partridge Family “Mom. I don’t know about the rest of you, but growing up we watched the show on a regular basis. Shirley had that cute little short hair style, nice frame, hey , there were a lot of adolescent wet dream fantasies revolving around Shirley back in the day- along with Ellie May of the “Beverly Hillbillies”, Mary-Ann of “Gilligans Island”, and especially Barbara Eden of “I dream of Jeanie.” Remember, this was way before hip hop videos came along.

It seems that Shirley has teamed up with PETA, people for ethical treatment of animals, to make a video called “Life and Death for Factory-Farmed Turkeys”. In this video Shirley describes the extremes of factory turkey farming, including graphic images of maimed, dying, and dead turkeys. Shirley goes on to recommend that Americans eat Tofurky or Unturkey vegetarian roast instead of real turkeys---just dayum. What the hell is a Tofurkey? Tofurkey is a product made by Turtle Island Foods .tofurky.com
. They make roasts, deli slices, sausages, and jerky, all of these products are made from organic soybeans, and wheat protein. MMMMmmm… Tofu turkey, sounds yummy doesn’t it? Let’s not even get into how you can make jerky without meat.



I wish Shirley had found another cause to support. The main reason is Thanks Giving is my favorite holiday, filled with memories of family and friends, great food, it is the least commercialized holiday there is. Second, I’m just tired of aging stars and starlets throwing their hats into the ring for every two- bit bullshit cause that comes down the pipe. What’s wrong with feeding the little starving kids in the far corners of the world, or if they want to do something local, build a couple of Habitat Houses. Oh, here’s an idea, how about these aging stars and starlets campaign for the Fair Tax, that way the movie going public will have more money to spend on movies. Naw, makes too much sense. Anyway, I don’t know if Shirley realizes that PETA is not an organization that merely recommends Americans find alternatives to animal based products- they are adamant about Americas not eating anything that would lead to the death of an animal, whether it be farm raised or not. PETA’s position is of animal rights. Animal rights activists believes that animals are not ours to use for food, clothing, entertainment, or experimentation. I myself am an animal welfare type of person. Supporters of animal welfare believe that animals can be used as long as “humane” guidelines are followed. Growing up I watched my Grandfather raise livestock of all kinds. His concept was simple, “you don’t abuse a living thing”. If you want pure, clean, unadulterated truth- ask an Old man wearing coveralls.


PETA is on my list of terrorist groups, two spots above the NCAAP, right above the KKK, right under AL Qaeda. PETA and groups like them bother me because they are willing to take away a persons choice if allowed to. Yes, there are some inhuman animal farming practices that need to be dealt with, but when a group like PETA comes out against regular everyday people fishing with a rod and reel simply because they don’t believe the fish should be harmed- hey, that’s a bit too much, and in the long run they forfeit their ability to help change the practices that need to be changed.

So, as you go into next week, making plans and setting up your menus for the Thanks Giving holidays, contemplate roasting up a big ole’ Tofurkey. I thought about it-------- But, I’m going to go ahead and prepare TurDucken- what the hell is a TurDucken? Take a look, hint- PETA would have a turkey, duck, and a chicken about this.chefpaul.com/turducken.html

Later’

Time to ease up and laugh for a minute.............

The last couple of days have been a frenzy of reading and discussing topics that started on mrigmaiden and PeaceonthatBlogs. So much so I didn’t write anything on my own blog yesterday. Anyone reading this that have never visited the two blogs linked above should do so. In the meantime I’m posting a little funny piece I read on grouchy old cripple. He is a blogger out of Atlanta and is quite different.



America makes plans to save France…. One more time.

President Bush has authorized the Joint Chiefs to begin drawing up a battle plan to pull France out of the fire again. Facing an apparent overwhelming force of up to 400 pissed off teenagers Mr. Bush doubts France's ability to hold off the little piss-ants. "If the last two world wars are any indication, I would expect France to surrender any day now", said Bush.

Joint Chiefs head, Gen. Peter Pace, warned the President that it might be necessary to send up to 5 marines to get things under control. The general admitted that 5 marines may be overkill but he wanted to get this thing under control within 24 hours of arriving on scene. He stated he was having a hard time finding even one marine to volunteer to help the ungrateful French out for a third time but thought that he could persuade a few women marines to do the job before they went on pregnancy leave.

President Bush asked Gen. Pace to get our marines out of there as soon as possible after order was restored. He also reminded Gen. Pace to make sure the marines did not take soap, razors, or deodorant with them. The less they stand out the better.
-grouchyoldcripple



Later'

Burn Baby, Burn..............

All hell has broken loose in France. France has been the scene of bonfire party gone mad for the last 12 days. You would think General Tecumseh Sherman, the Union General that burned a path sixty miles wide starting from Atlanta, Georgia and ending at the sea, Savannah, Georgia, has been reincarnated and owns a lifetime supply of matches. This rampage began October 26, when two Arab youths, fleeing what they thought was police pursuit, leapt onto power lines and were electrocuted. It was as if someone stood up and declared,”let the riots begin”.

As much as it pleases me to see the French squirm, I receive no satisfaction from their current predicament. Why, we are heading down the same path that the French walk now. The rioters roasting marshmallows over burning buses and cars every night in France are of Algerian, African, and Muslim origins. Their parents originally immigrated to France in search of work and what they found were jobs the French didn’t want to do. These youths were born in France, have French citizenship, but were never assimilated into the French culture- they are as much French as Me and You. Faced with the lack of gainful employment, the unemployment rate in the areas the youths live in is atrocious at 20%, They have very little hope for a future. Couple these facts with a different belief structure based on religion, these nightly firestorms were bound to happen.

See the parallel. We too have been welcoming foreign nationals to come to our country to do the jobs we supposedly don’t want to do. We have not required them to assimilate into our culture, we don’t even require them to learn to speak the language. Go to any Home Depot and all the aisles are labeled in Spanish and English- Why do I have to choose whether or not I want instructions in English or Spanish at ATMs, hell if my ancestors could learn English under the harsh realities of slavery, they( the illegal aliens) can damned sure learn it here and now.

Not being required to speak the language, living separate in their own enclaves, the children of this massive wave of illegal aliens we have been allowing to enter our country are a time bomb waiting to go off. And we have brought it upon ourselves. Everyone talks of solving the problem, everyone is mad as hell that both political parties have drug their feet dealing with the issue. What is the answer? Some groups advocate bringing all these illegal aliens into the fold with an amnesty act- Regan tried that in the 80’s, it only increased the flow. Some groups want our borders closed, a wall built. I say the solution is basically simple- Any employer found to be employing illegal aliens should be fined so damned harshly that any profit they stand to gain vanishes. The stream of illegal aliens will turn into a trickle damned near over night. I don’t think we have a whole lot of time left to make this decision- ask the French.


Later’

Gay Cowboys...............

Universal/Focus plans to release a gay cowboy movie called, ”Brokeback Mountain”. Well, it seems like even though there wasn’t enough interest in Mel Gibson’s ‘Passion of Christ” for Hollywood to bankroll his movie, He ended up risking his own money, there is plenty of money to go around for gay cowboy movies. I am still at a loss at how so many people simply dismiss Hollywood’s biased agenda. Look, its simple- this assumption of a so-called inclusive society that Hollywood operates under is total bullshit. Hollywood leans hard to the left. So much so that a lot of movies made are movies that the majority of the movie going population could give a damned about. This movie is a movie that an Independent studio should have made and released.

Let’s get to the issue of gay cowboy movies. Did gay cowboys exist? You darn tootin’ they did, but the question is why would a studio like Universal/Focus films, which I am a fan of, make a movie that depicts explicit gay sex scenes according to interviews by the Academy members that have screened the movie, when there are so many great cowboy/western stories that could be made into movies. Just think about it- there needs to be big screen treatment of the Buffalo Soldiers, tons of stories to be told with the view point of the Native Americans about how the west was won, and shit, we are no where near into the meat of Louie L’ Amour’s collection of westerns.

Movie making is a business. Universal and the rest of the movie studios will remember sooner or later that the movie going public will respond to well made movies. In the meantime I guess they will continue to turn out movies like “Bareback Mountain”, oh… I meant “Brokeback Mountain”.

Later’

Madonna......................

After reading about how Madonna stole the MTV awards show, and viewing some pictures of her during the show, I came to this conclusion. Madonna needs to get a new costume designer. At 47 years old she is still pimping the same outfits that she wore in the 80’s. Hell, Tina Turner had better legs than Madonna, but she knew when to get away from the Ike Turner "Proud Mary" skirts. This shit is tired. Looking at pictures of Madonna these days wearing outfits that she wore in the early eighties gives credence to a old saying I once heard, slightly updated to fit the times—“You can’t put a 2005 Cadillac grill on a 75 pinto and sell it new, its still a 75 pinto”
Have a great weekend
Later’

What do Men want..............?

We want every damned thing…………….and that’s a problem 99.9% of the time.

Finally........................

AIDS Gel on a Faster Track
Merck, Bristol to License Drugs Free for Use in Poor Countries
NEW YORK, Oct. 31 -- New research in monkeys suggests a combination of AIDS drugs applied as a vaginal gel might prevent infection with HIV, and two major drug companies said Monday they would license promising compounds at no charge so that such a product can be created.---- Washington Post, By Justin Gillis

I’ve been saying for years now that the attempt to find a cure for HIV/AIDS was a resource wasting venture. First of all every disease that has ever threatened a population was responded to by quarantine measures. The plague, cholera, tuberculosis - let your kid attend a school where viral meningitis breaks out, he or she will be taken out of school and won’t go back until they are completely over it – At the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic we didn’t follow normal quarantine measures, and we still do not to this day. It is my belief we paid a heavy price for not doing so. This deviation from historical practices when faced with such a devastating disease such as HIV/AIDS set the stage for the virus to move unchecked from the gay population where it was primarily found into the general population. Quarantine sounds cruel but when I can’t spend a day in my life without some public announcement about the deadly threat of HIV/AIDS in our society, I find it odd that quarantine is not an option. Second of all we have never cured a virus, we simply have developed drugs that suppress the virus or mitigate the deadly symptoms while the virus runs it’s course. The day we find a cure for HIV/AIDS will be the same day the common cold virus will be history.


Could a quarantine method that was sensitive and effective have been developed—hell, I seriously doubt it, the two political parties haven’t worked together for the good of the country since WWII, but it should have been explored at the least. What we should have concentrated on in the beginning was something like this gel, something that would have prevented the spread of the virus. Okay, I have strong feelings about a lot of the irresponsible sex practices that go on every day in America. It is my opinion HIV/AIDS is a lifestyle disease resulting from an irresponsible sexual lifestyle, but I do realize that there are circumstances where people believe they are safe but in reality aren’t- a cheating spouse is one. Also I recognize that in extreme areas of poverty like Sub Saharan Africa, the HIV/AIDS virus would spiral completely out of control if nothing is done. I also have strong feelings about the governments/leaders of those countries and their responsibilities, but we won’t go there today.


I don’t want to hear all the conspiracy theories and The Tuskegee experiment parallels, once the virus was in the general population and spreading at a geometric rate none of that shit means a dayum thing. This gel is good news. Imagine this. Where condoms use is shunned, a gel that would also provide lubrication would be readily acceptable- if not, the woman could use it without the knowledge of her sex partner. I sincerely hope successful progress is made with this gel and a usable, reliable product is available in the near future.

Later’

That was then..............

For a few years now I’ve been marveling at the resurgence of all things 70’s. Hell, it’s understandable, I grew up in the seventies and they were fun, unique times. Just think about it, bellbottoms and afro’s – even my pigment challenged brothers were wearing afro’s. Kool Aid at dinner time-the red kind. Turn on the cartoon channel these days and the only cartoons worth looking at, with a few exceptions, are cartoons of the 70’s.


Woody Wood pecker was probaly the most violent cartoon ever made- except for Jonny Quest, you actually saw Dr Benton Quest and his trusty assitant, Race Bannon shoot people- dead. Is it just me or did Jonny Quest look like he was Race's son instead of Dr. Quest's?- I guess there was no DNA testing available. Of course you had Bugs Bunny doing his thang- and the Road runner, Freud could have a field day writing papers on those two shows. Looking at the Flintstones as a adult I found that the writers were writing episodes with two levels of humor- one for the kids, and one that went right over the heads of kids for the adults watching- ingenious. Remember the cartoon Popeye? Not the new stuff they eventually made, but the ones we watched growing up. Popeye was a weird dynamic involving spinich, speech impediments, tattoos, penitentiary grown forearms, violence, and love for a bony-assed babe named Olive Oyle.


Thinking about the 70’s made me think of one of my favorite childhood toys- the Sears Spyder bicycle.(pictured above) This bad boy, cheater slicks(tires), banana seat and all, was sitting under the Christmas tree one Christmas morning. I thought I was set for life- I mean there was only one bike better, the Schwin Krate, and there was no way in the hell my parents were ponying up close to a hundred dollars for a bike, very few in my neighborhood could. I can remember rolling down the drive way on Christmas morning and it seemed like the whole neighborhood was rolling on Spyders. People talk about America’s love affair with the Car, Shit, it started with bicycles as kids. We rode them every where, I believe we easily put 15 to 20 miles a day on those bikes, easily. Neighborhoods and towns were a hell of alot more bicycle friendly growing up in the 70's.


There is not a week that goes by without seeing a report on the problem of obesity in kids these days. Looking back there were chubby kids when I was growing up, but you just didn’t see as many kids over weight as you do now. It was those damned bikes we rode, they were heavy as hell. I bought a mountain bike a couple of years ago that a seven year old could hoist above their head. Also the gearing of our bikes –one gear mostly- meant that going up hills you had to exert some effort, or risk getting left behind.


It’s sad really what kids have to do to ride a dayum bike in safety these days. First you have to load up the bike, drive to a nearby park, get the bike out, strap on that funky looking bike helmet-yeah, some counties have a helmet law for kids riding bikes. Ride the bike, take the silly ass helmet off, (I know somebody is gonna tear me a new one about bike helmets) load the bike up, head back home, unload the bike and hang it up in the garage. No wonder so many kids are obese these days, more time is spent getting ready to ride than riding. All we did was mount up and hit the street, everyday, all day. Yes, we had some good times.

Later'