One of the Consequences of June 6th, 1944

The primary purpose of the D-Day landings in Normandy was to defeat Germany and eliminate the Nazi threat to the rest of the world. One of the consequences of that invasion was the discovery of the concentration camps.

There are Holocaust Deniers running around today. There are damned few of them in the US Armed Forces. Here is one reason why:

...At the end of the tour, we were in the prisoner quarters, I believe. I was herding my boys through the line. At that point we were pretty damn macabre about the whole thing - like Dachau, there was a feeling of hopelessness. That's when Segeant Rowe shouts out, "Hey, Sir, you have to see this!" Rowe was a history buff. He was always first in line to read everything about the camp and moved through quickly as though he was afraid to miss out on anything should he linger too long. He was the first to reach the end of the tour....

So, You Want a Baaad Joke?

OK, here it is. Keep in mind, my 14-year old daughter told me this one...

"Dad, you gotta do 'Safe Lunch'".

"Chickie, just what in the blazes is 'Safe Lunch'?"

"Daddy, you have ALWAYS got to use Condiments!"

.....



HoooKay! "Safe Lunch"

Right.

I think it's going to be a loooong teenage years. And that's just for Chickie. Meelie is 11 going on 17....

I've already got gray hair. It's just gonna get worse...

Sigh.

Memorial Day 2009

Today is the day we honor our dead.

From the Revolutionary War, through the Civil War, the Mexican-American War, the Spanish-American War, the First World War, and the Second. Korea. Viet Nam. The Gulf War. Afghanistan. Iraq. And let us not forget all the crappy little places in between.

This is the first year that I don't honor my Dad on Veteran's Day.

Today is the first year that I do honor Dad on Memorial Day.

US Army (Infantry), 1941-1946. ETO, 1942-1946.

Purple Heart. "I zigged when I shoulda zagged." "Gee, Ma, I forgot to duck."

Firm opinions on many subjects, most touching on personal behavior.

"The Golden Rule is the best rule of all. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Of course, if the others are evil ones, and have taken a shot at you (and missed), don't hesitate - do unto them quickly and thoroughly. And do it twice."

"Tell the truth. It might hurt a little now, but the truth saves trouble later."

"Don't lie. Tell the truth in such a way that it will be thought a lie. Then look innocent, and for God's sake don't do an 'I told you so!' - just look confused!"

"Women are different. They are NOT meant to be understood. They are just... different."

There's many other lessons from the Old Man. Some time I'll put 'em out here.

In the meantime, here's the last one for today:

"Properly chilled beer is a Good Thing. Matched with a good steak, properly prepared, with corn and baked, you've got one of God's Good Meals."

Thanks Pop. We Love You.

Still here...

Mrs. OWW is recuperating nicely from major abdominal surgery.

OWW has been dealing with changing bandages, moving daughters around to meet their various committments, work, plumbing issues, car issues, Cinco de Mayo issues, boat issues (not MY boat, thank Gawd (BOAT means "Bring Out Another Thousand")), dance recital rehearsals, softball, and a Partidge In A Pear Tree.

All is well, so far, but OWW is frazzled!

Right now, I don't give a crap about the rest of the world, personal stuff is at the head of the line.

Pirates of Africa

First, three cheers for the SEALs who blew the Somalian pirates away.

Now, thirty yards with rifles for trained and skilled marksmen sounds dead easy, right? Not if your shooting platform is moving around (and trust me on this, a tin-can moves if you breath on it), and the lifeboat is moving around even more than the tin-can, AND you have three targets, all of whom are also moving around on the lifeboat.

As I said, three cheers, and those three guys get to drink on my tab any time they like.

Now the Somalian pirates are threating "revenge". OK, dudes, go ahead and do it. And watch what happens when we really decide to clean house. YOUR house.

'Way back in the 1800's we had a little pirate problem in the Caribbean and along the southern coasts of the US. The US Navy was turned loose, and started by hanging every pirate they could catch.

Pretty soon, no more pirates.

Is it time to start hanging the Pirates of Africa? Or the Pirates of Asia?

I beleive that it is time to start putting trained and armed security details on all American-flagged ships sailing in those Asian and African waters known to have pirates. A few shot-up pirate boats, with dead bodies, would provide a marvelous object lesson, and stop piracy dead in it's tracks.

Pirates are like any other criminal - if the target fights back, it's not nearly such an attractive target.

Tiger Woods as Part of the Obama Inaugural

As part of the festivities marking the inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States, golf legend Tiger Woods made a speech at the Lincoln Memorial introducing the US Naval Glee Club - two days before the actual inauguration.

He's been criticized for not mentioning the new President.

I don't give a rat's patootie. Mr. Woods is a sportsman, a symbol, and above all, an American.

Here's the speech:

"I grew up in a military family - and my role models in life were my Mom and Dad, Lt. Colonel Earl Woods. My dad was a Special Forces operator and many nights friends would visit our home.

They represented every branch of the service, and every rank.

In my Dad, and in those guests, I saw first hand the dedication and commitment of those who serve. They come from every walk of life. From every part of our country. Time and again, across generations, they have defended our safety in the dark of night and far from home.

Each day -- and particularly on this historic day -- we honor the men and women in uniform who serve our country and protect our freedom.

They travel to the dangerous corners of the world, and we must remember that for every person who is in uniform, there are families who wait for them to come home safely.

I am honored that the military is such an important part, not just of my personal life, but of my professional one as well. The golf tournament we do each year here in Washington is a testament to those unsung heroes.

I am the son of a man who dedicated his life to his country, family and the military, and I am a better person for it.

In the summer of 1864, Abraham Lincoln, the man at whose memorial we stand, spoke to the 164th Ohio Regiment and said:

'I am greatly obliged to you, and to all who have come forward at the call of their country.'

Just as they have stood tall for our country - we must always stand by and support the men and women in uniform and their families.

Thank you, and it is now my pleasure to introduce the US Naval Glee Club."


Here's the Snopes entry for this short, sweet speech.

Unfortunately, what's not surprising is that the MSM (MainStreamMedia) didn't pick up on this. After all, they'd rather report on some celebrity air-head pontificating on something about which they know absolutely nothing.

Mr. Woods, Thank You. As the grandson (US Army, 1917-1919), and son (US Army 1941-1946) of veterans, and as a Vet myself (USN 1969-1973) I appreciate your very kind words.

Spring Has Sprung

Here in Southeast Jawja, spring has finally sprung, liberating me from the shivers of my discontent.

I have shivered my way through cold days of north winds and frost on the windshield of The Truck.

Now, the grass turns green, the temp hit 80F, and I circulate 'round the back yard.

Holy Frijoles! Lookit all them damned weeds!

Uhh... is it too late to wish for a good hard blast of winter wind, precisely directed on the weeds and leaving my very own precious hide nice and warm?

I thought so.

Just Dayum....

Someday...

... I'll be like my Dad. Old, and cranky, and everything will hurt, and I'll be short-tempered and I'll want to forget the bad stuff, and only remember the good.

Someday I'll remember the doggies in my life, and remember that they all greeted me with wagging tails and unconditional love - and died long before I did, because that's what happens to doggies.

Someday I'll remember my kids when they were young, their marveling at the world around them, at the hue of a flower, the smell of new-mown grass, at the feel of the ocean kissing the skin under a bright shining sun, at the wondrous sight of Venus shining next to Luna just before sunset.

For now, I remember my Dad, holding my hand and showing me these sights, and teaching me about doggies, and tolerating me even when I was fifteen and royal pain in the behind, and I'm glad he let me live - so that I can pass along those lessons to his grandchildren. (Trust me here - I was a real PITA as a fifteen-year-old - I'm surprised he let me live!)

And I'll pass those same lessons along to his great-grandchildren, if I live that long.

I think that I'll take a sip of the Bushmill's here, and reflect. And yes, that's another lesson from the Old Man - sip gently, and reflect.

Photographs of Our Honored Dead

Once again, our honored dead are about to become political footballs.

The LA Time reports HERE that "The Pentagon has decided to rescind a long-standing prohibition against press coverage of returning war dead, allowing families to say whether news organizations may photograph the arrivals, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Thursday."

Anyone who believes that this is not a directive from the President is drinking some really bad KoolAid.

Our dead, as shown by the AP's running tally, are already ammunition for Code Pink, KOS, and other left-wing "workers for peace".

Feh.

It isn't enough that the names and hometowns of our dead are publicized, but now the ugliest side of "If it bleeds, it leads" is making a very ugly return.

I remember what the oh-so-caring media did in the past.

I predict that the media will behave as well now as they did then.

Asshats, one and all.

Still Suffering, After All These Years

I have been, and am currently, suffering the agonies, or at least the inconveniences of the well and eternally damned.

Yes, it is true. I have a nasty, snot-slingin' sinus-sloshin' oh-my-Gawwwwd-I-wanna-die cold.

And, to top it off, my Dodge Dakota truck has decided it doesn't want to run. Something to do with either the truck's computer, or one of it's sensors. The odometer displays "noBuS". Google "dakota nobus" and prepare to be confused.

I'm an IT Geek - this should be child's play, right? I mean, a simpleton computer that's running a car should be a snap for a certified IT God such as my magnificent self, right?

*Snort*

Damned thing is kicking my rosy red behind right around the block.

Cars. If I could figure a way to do without one, I would.

In a heartbeat.

ACORN and the Wilfully Blind Media

First, read THIS story from Fox News. Not one mention of the record of Donna Hanks, the former owner.

Next, take a look a Michelle Malkin's report on the very same thing, HERE.

Compare and contrast the coverage, my friends.

And the big news outlets wonder why they're losing market share?

Here's why: ABC/NBC/CBS/CNN/Print Media/Fox News, et al, are NOT doing their research, that's why!

The short version is that Donna Hanks is a documented dead-beat. And those sleazy bozos at ACORN saw an opportunity to stick it to Joe Average tax-paying American, and tried it.

And now that they've been caught, ACORN is, guaranteed (and you saw it right here first!) to play the Evil Banker/Mortgage Company card, never mentioning that Hanks is, in fact, a dead-beat.

Cold-case Crime in D.C. - Chandra Levy

You may remember murder victim Chandra Levy as being the paramour of Congressman Gary Condit. Levy was killed in Washington, D.C. back in 2001.

Now, the D.C. police are going to make an arrest in the case.

The suspect? Criminal and illegal alien Ingmar Guandique.

Currently doing time for assaulting 2 female joggers in Rock Creek Park, Guandique has reportedly been tied to Chandra Levy by DNA evidence.

Story HERE.

Bad Bad Post

Durned Blogger. Screwed up post.

There is nothing to see here. Move along...

Chicago Politicians

First, it was Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Before he was impeached, he appointed Roland Burris to fill Pres. Obama's Senate seat.

Now, Sen. Burris is being investigated by the Sangamon County state's attorney on possible perjury charges related to Sen. Burris's testimony to the Illinois House committee that was investigating Blagojevich.

Chicago politics is... interesting, yes?

Sundays At OWW's Place

We tend to loaf around, wake up slowly, drink a little coffee to get the corpuscles moving around. Used to be we'd read the Sunday newspaper - but lately, they're so full of crap that we don't bother.

Today I have to order a PCM (that's Power Control Module) for my Dodge truck. It took about 1 hour of poking around under the hood, and searching on the net. A Google search on "noBuS" finally turned up the info I needed to determine that the PCM had gone south. It's going to cost about $300 and take about 15 minutes to install.

I'll leave you with this thought for a Sunday -

Patrick Henry is famous for these words: "Give me liberty, or give me death!"

Here is the whole quote, from 'way back in 1775:

"An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone. There is a just God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone. Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death."

Master Criminals of South Georgia - Update

I have a grim update to this post:

Amy Kern was released from custody, and has now gone from being a bit of a joke to being an accused murderer.

PORT SAINT LUCIE, FL -- Its an unusual description for an accused killer: "All American girl. Sweet." Colin McCarthy says that is just one side of his ex-girlfriend, Amy Kern's personality. As accustomed as he was to seeing her smiling, happy face, he was not surprised to learn she admitted to fatally shooting her aunt's boyfriend and bludgeoning her grandmother to death with a tire iron.

OK, yeah, I poked more than a bit of fun at her and her unidentified "fiance" in my post. By definition, "Master Criminals" swinging axes and such are not wrapped too tight, and dammit, I did see some humor in that particular story.

I see no humor whatsoever in THIS part of the rest of the story.

That brings up a question: Am I going to stop highlighting "Master Criminals"?

No, I am not. I just hope that none of the future "Master Criminals" are as ill as Amy Kern.

My thanks (I think?) to commenter "Anonymous", who brought the rest of this sad and tragic story to my attention.

Superbowl

Watched the Steelers beat the Cardinals.

Pre-game predictions had the Steelers just whuppin' the Cards right into the ground.

The Cards did indeed lose - but not by much, and the Cards did NOT roll over and die.

If the Cards can manage to keep the team more or less together, they are going to doing well over the next few years.

Gadzooks, that was a good game!

The "Google Bomb"

Look, I've been mucking about in the Web for quite a while.

I've been using Google as my preferred search engine for at least five years.

I'm an IT geek - and I use Google every single freakin' day to find good stuff that I need to do my job.

(Side note: Go HERE to find really good FREE stuff. Gizmo rocks! And I found his site through Google.)

Until today, I'd never run across the phrase "Google Bomb".

Now that I have, and I've learned just how long it took Google to rectify the situation, I have to wonder just how badly Google's other results are skewed.

Yes, my trust in Google has been damaged. And Google did the damage itsownself.

Why, exactly, should I trust Google?

Oh, Man! MORE Tax Probs for Obama Cabinet!

On the heels of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's tax problems, we now have former Senator Daschle's little $100,000 non-payment of taxes.

The Prez's Cabinet issues continue to provide massive amounts of ammo to Limbaugh, Hannity, Boortz and Co., and deservedly so.

In this day and age, with what I call the "instant news cycle", a President gets absolutely no wiggle room.

I don't say that it's right, it is just the way it is.

Prez O, you've GOT to do a better job of vetting your nominees, lest you get bogged down with answering endless questions and crippling your Administration with problematic and vulnerable members of your Cabinet right from the beginning.

Make no mistake, sir - this is YOUR cabinet, and you get to carry the can.

Interesting Point of Constitutional Law

President-Elect Obama started nominating, and the Senate confirming, Cabinet Officers on 2 December 2008. But the Constitution, in Article II, Section 2 is most specific.

The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment. He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments. The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.

So, are the Cabinet Officers confirmed by the Senate before President-Elect Obama became President Obama on 20 January actually Cabinet Officers of the United States?

Were any of President-Elect Bush's appointees actually Cabinet Officers legally confirmed prior to 20 January 2001?

Pets vs Children

Got this from my friend in Ohio - the same one who knows a guy that has 2500 acres and a backhoe and might know something about Jimmy...

Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:
(1) eat less
(2) don't ask for money all the time
(3) are easier to train
(4) normally come when called
(5 ) never ask to drive the car
(6) don't want to wear your clothes
(7) don't have to buy the latest fashions,
(8) don't need a gazillion dollars for college and
(9) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children

MY children, who do read these demented ramblings from time to time, should take special note of number 9.

I know people who know people who need cheap scullery maids and human fork-lifts...

Master Criminals of South Georgia

From time to time I immortalize here at OWW's Place some of the more... imaginative among our Criminal Element.

Honest, you can't make this stuff up!

The headline in the January 9th edition of the Tribune & Georgian reads:

"Woman chases fiance with axe while holding baby"

Police arrested a St. Marys woman Dec 28, 2008 after she allegedly chased her fiance with an axe in one had and a baby in the other. Amy Kay Kern, 29, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats and acts and battery after she alleged scratched her fiance on his face and chased him out of the house holding an axe and their 1-month-old child.

Now, honestly, if I included that little fracas in the Great American Novel that I'm never going to write, someday, you'd jeer and jape and say "OWW, that can NEVER happen in real life!"

The Historic Transfer of Power

Yes, it is a historic moment - a non-white man has become the freely elected President of the United States of America.

What's really "historic" about it?

This is the 43rd peaceful transfer of power.

No riots.

No civil war.

Just the rather boring political speeches and the Media going "Ooooo" and "Ahhhh".

Nice, dull, quiet, and boring - just the way I like it.

Just the way, the American Way, that it should be.

Of course, tomorrow will be a different story.

Those of us who did not vote for our current President will view with alarm, cavil over trifles, and rail against the injustice of it all.

Peacefully. Because that's the American Way.

To the non-American world - Barack Hussein Obama is MY president. I may not like his policies, I may view his initiatives with alarm, I may grumble at his sucesses and growl at his failures. But hear me, you "furriners" - he is MY president.

I am an American.

Here I Stand...

... I can do no other.

A little background first.

I'm what my Southron neighbors would, most politely, call a "DamnYankee". And yes, it's all one word.

Stubborn. Opinionated. Educated through my own research.

My father fought the Nazis through France and into Germany. He saw the camps, and described them to me in most graphic and distressing detail.

I didn't really believe him until I did my own research.

Two of my high school classmates had parents with numbers tatooed on their arms. (To my other classmates - You don't remember? Or you never noticed? Or you ignored? Or you deny? Pick a place, and make your stand.)

So, here it is.

I stand with Israel. I stand against Hamas.

I stand with "Never Again". I stand against "Off the map".

I stand with the only functioning democracy in the Middle East. I stand against the gangbangers of "Palestine".

I say "Israel - From The River To The Sea".

If you don't like how I stand, tough beans.

Here I stand - I can do no other.

News Coverage of Gaza

I've been following the Israeli/Hamas upscuddle and I gotta tell you, Big News still doesn't "get it".

The emphasis is all on the "civilian casualties" in Gaza, with hardly any mention of Hamas rockets, Hamas suicide and/or homicide bombers, Hamas shooting up cars full of Israeli civilians, and the list could go on.

Even the reviled Fox News is slanted toward the "civilian suffering" in Gaza, with very little on the Israeli side.

I'm just sayin' that it's pretty bloody obvious.

An Indictment of Big News

At 4AM my eyes pop open, and I'm wide awake.

Crap. This really and truly sucks rocks.

Being the news junkie that I am, I cruise Yahoo News, ABC, CNN, and Fox. And buried, deep in Fox News, I find this little gem.

The 22 Arab nations (the Palestinian authority would make 23), gathered in a basement conference room hammering out their proposal, which still does not mention Hamas’ role in the fighting. It is similar to the one Libya floated on New Year’s Eve, which condemned “all acts of violence and terror against civilians,” (one would presume that could include Israelis as well as Palestinians) “as well as expressing grave concern about the widespread death and destruction among the Palestinian civilian population.” The draft also said it “strongly condemns the Israeli military attacks.” It went nowhere, and an even weaker expression late Saturday night was not agreed on because of U.S. objection. American diplomats note the absence of holding Hamas responsible, and indeed the British ambassador said if there were to be a balanced resolution… that is, a resolution that includes criticism of and demands on Hamas as well as Israel, then such a declaration could pass muster.

This little snippet was buried deep within Fox news. I haven't seen anything like it at any other Big News organization.

The reluctance of Western diplomats and the press to publicly, and loudly, demand that Hamas cease and desist their attacks on civilians in Israel causes me a certain amount of heartburn.

Instead of tip-toeing around Hamas' delicate sensibilities whilst hammering Israel's "aggression", let's haul out the actions of both sides and look at them, dispassionately. Then, perhaps, a fair conclusion can be arrived at.

To be blunt about it, the major news organizations - AP, Reuters, ABC, CNN, CBS, NBC, et. al., have been falling all over themselves to NOT report fairly on both sides.

And that, my friends, is what really makes me angry.

In a later post, I will tell you exactly why I did not renew my subscription to the Florida Times-Union (Georgia edition), and what the T-U can do to regain my trust.

More Post-Christmas

Last year, we got the kids a Wii, with a few assorted games that I (being an old fart) haven't felt the slightest temptation to play.

This year, since they've been "OOooo"-ing and "Ahhhh"-ing over "Guitar Hero", we went ahead and got them one - with two "guitars".

Imagine my pleasure when their favorite track is a Creedence Clearwater Revival tune!

Makes me think that somewhere, somehow, Mr. Bad Influence (Professional Division) must have done something right.... Now, if I can just get them to like bagpipes, Bach organ music, and the Moody Blues....

UPDATE: MeelieNoh (The 10-year old) kicked my butt around the block. Twice. I can see I'm gonna have to practice a bit...

Post-Christmas

I'll leave it up to Mrs. OWW to describe the goings-on at my In-Law's, with one exception: Watching Chickie (14) and MeelieNoh (10) open packages and go "Oooo" and "Ahhh" as they got some stuff that they really wanted.

Instead, let's look at one of the sillier things that went on this week - in Seattle.

It seems that a large winter storm dumped large amounts of snow in places that get very little snow. But wait a minute, Seattle has snow removal equipment, right?

Kinda-sorta. The snowplows that they do have (not many) have rubber blades to avoid damaging the roads AND they do not use salt on the roads at all, because.... (wait for it) the run-off would damage Puget Sound - which is a salt-water body of water!

Read the editorial HERE.

In summary, Seattle blew the call. Granted, Seattle doesn't normally have to deal with huge amounts of snow - but the planning should have been in place, and extreme conditions allowed and planned and stocked for.

I live in a hurricane zone, and my local government DOES plan and DOES equip itself to deal with a hurricane's aftermath.

So, Seattle gets a "D" grade for violating the "Five P" principle.

Meanwhile, I'm suffering through mid-seventies temps - why, I even felt moved to turn on my truck's air-conditioning yesterday.... Ò¿Ö

Congress-critters at the Trough

These are the same folks that spend YOUR money.

Money that YOU have earned.

Is it any wonder that public confidence in the Congress is at an all time low?

As Americans across the country grapple with one of the worst financial crises since the Great Depression, members of Congress quietly are getting a pay raise. Each lawmaker's annual salary is due for a $4,700 cost-of-living increase starting in January, which will amount to a cost to taxpayers of $2.5 million in 2009, infuriating watchdog groups. ... Members of Congress make an average of $169,300 a year, with Congressional leaders making slightly more. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Cailf., makes $217,400, while the majority and minority leaders in the House and Senate each make $188,100. The raise will increase the average salary to about $174,000, up 2.8 percent.

Twits and Lawyer-Twits

Oh, for Christ's Sweet Sake!

Read THIS, then tell me why public humiliation for this twit isn't a Good Thing.

She should be required to stand on a street corner at rush hour with a sign enumerating her crime, AND specifying that she and her lawyer daddy had the gall to sue!

Convicted last year of intoxication manslaughter for the death of her boyfriend, the 21-year-old daughter of a state district judge is suing the truck driver she ran into during a drunken driving crash. Elizabeth Shelton, the daughter of juvenile judge Pat Shelton, is accusing truck driver Lance Bennett of negligence in the Oct. 23, 2007, wreck that killed her boyfriend Matthew McNiece. Shelton had a blood alcohol concentration more than three times the legal limit, two tests showed. She was sentenced to eight years' probation and had to serve four months in jail. Shelton, her family and the family of the boyfriend who was killed are suing for $20,000 for the destruction of the Lexus SUV she was driving and an undetermined amount for mental anguish, pain and suffering. Bennett was driving the box truck that Shelton rear-ended on the Southwest Freeway near Kirby around 2 a.m.

Elizabeth Shelton is a twit. A drunk driver twit, and therefore very dangerous to herself and all those within fifty miles of her miserable location. Pat Shelton, her lawyer daddy, is a daffy-down-dilly, i.e., a Lawyer-Twit (caps intended), and therefore to be regarded with the utmost scorn.

"American Patriots"?

See the story HERE.

The Marine Corps motto means "always faithful," but the union says some reservists working out of a base on Jefferson Avenue in Detroit have been decidedly unfaithful to their fellow Americans by driving import cars and trucks. So the UAW International will no longer allow members of the 1st Battalion 24th Marines to park at Solidarity House if they are driving foreign cars or displaying pro-President Bush bumper stickers. "While reservists certainly have the right to drive nonunion made vehicles and display bumper stickers touting the most anti-worker, anti-union president since the 1920s, that doesn't mean they have the right to park in a lot owned by the members of the UAW," the union said in a statement released Friday. Shocked and disappointed, the Marines are pulling out. "You either support the Marines or you don't," said Lt. Col. Joe Rutledge

I go with Col. Rutledge.

These Marine Reservists are "citizen soldiers" - and when you call, they come.

They don't care if you drive a "union" car. They don't care if you're from Detroit, or Michigan, California, or Georgia.

If you call for help, they drop what they're doing in the civilian world, and they come.

The United States Marine Corps Reserve doesn't care if you are Republican or Democrat. The USMCR doesn't care if you're male or female. The Marines don't care if you're straight, bent, or mutilated. The "jarheads" don't care if you're "pro-union" or "anti-union".

"Semper Fidelis" means that they are always there.

The United States Marine Corps Reserve has sworn to protect YOU - even if you are a no account loser like the UAW.

Even if you are a miserable little "union" pissant.

I go with Col. Rutledge - you can take your stinkin' little parking lot and put it where the sun don't shine.

Note: I'm not "management". I'm not "rich". I'm not "union". I'm just an American who's "been there", and "done that" - USN 1969-1973, and a proud son-in-law to a "China Marine". And yes, the UAW has once again managed to really get me grumpy.

Grrrr.....

Wreaths at Arlington

Back around 1995, Worcester Wreath Company started laying Christmas Wreaths on the headstones of graves at Arlington National Cemetary. Now, that project has been picked up by Wreaths Across America.

A worthy endeavor, indeed!

Merry Christmas, boys. We're thinking of you....

(Image shamelessly lifted from BlackFive )

The Chicago Political Machine

Barry Obama (I refuse to use his full name, now that it's OK to do so) "came up" through the Chicago political world.

Barry, of course, is Shocked and Dismayed that Hizzoner the Gov'nor tried to auction Barry's Senate seat to the highest bidder.

The "Shock" and "Dismay" rings just a little hollow.

It's awfully hard to believe in the "New Politics" when it comes from a guy who "came up" through the Chicago politcal machine. There's no doubt in my mind that Barry knew in his bones about the sorts of shenannigans that Chicago politicos are capable of.

There's no doubt that I will find myself looking somewhat skeptically at the next President of the United States when he speaks of morality and ethics in public service.

Edit: I should note that Blago's predecessor, named Ryan, currently doing time for corruption, is/was a Republican. This is not a Dem/Pub thing, it's a Chicago Politics thing.

The "New Politics" of Chicago Politicians

The "new politics". The "Change We Can Believe In".

Rep. William "Cold Cash" Jefferson (D - La) not only indicted for corruption, but loses his re-election bid to a Republican, Joseph Cao - a Viet refugee!

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) arrested and charged with selling the Senate seat that President-elect Barack Obama (D) resigned in order to accept the Presidency of the United States.

Cripes, we ain't even through December yet!

I just can't wait to see what kind of entertainment the Dems are going to serve up next....

Moderate Muslims Get Some Backbone

The moderate, law-abiding Muslims of India have a clue, and a backbone. See the complete news story HERE.

This story shows me, at least, that some of the Muslims of the world really do believe that terrorism is not the way.

The bodies of the nine dead gunmen lie in a morgue awaiting last rites. The sole surviving militant, Pakistani national Ajmal Amir Kamal, 21, is being questioned by police. Unclaimed bodies thought to be Muslim are traditionally given to the nearest Islamic graveyard for burial after three days. But the Muslim Council issued orders to cemeteries that the nine should not find a resting place in India. Even before the council's orders, a Muslim graveyard in the heart of Mumbai broke with Islamic tradition and refused to bury the bodies of the nine terrorists. The influential Muslim Jama Masjid Trust, which runs the 3ha Badakabrastan graveyard, said it would not bury the gunmen because they were not true followers of Islam. Hanif Nalkhande, a spokesman for the trust, said: "People who committed this heinous crime cannot be called Muslim. Islam does not permit this sort of barbaric crime."

Text Messages

Just got a text message to my cell phone from Chickie (14-year-old daughter) -

"can you come tuck me in?"

I'm in the kitchen. She's in her bedroom, not 30 feet away.

So... what's a big, strong, hero-type Daddy to do?

I go into her bedroom, and, literally, tuck her in.

"Daddy, tell me a story about you and the Navy, please?"

So I tell her about me, Poor Dumb Randy, and The Chief (that would be our Chief Petty Officer).

Keep in mind that PDR and OWW were about 22 at the time. The Chief was a rather ancient 40-something.

PDR and OWW had to carry The Chief back to the ship. And no, alchohol or drugs were not involved. Also not involved was The Captain, nor the Blonde Japanese Go-Go Dancer.

We never should have taken the bet about how many pounds the anchor weighed (not including the anchor chain).

Our Japanese hosts were much amused by the antics of the crazy Eastern Barbarians.... and so was Chickie.

True story... and I'm pleased that Chickie wants to hear my stories about ancient history - and Very Pleased that Chickie, at 14, STILL wants to be "tucked in" by her Dear Old Dad...

Notable Quotes

From time to time, at OWW's Own Discretion (hereafter OWWOD) I may post what I consider to be "Notable Quotes", aka "Jeez, I Wish I'd Said That".

His Lordship the Earl of Sandwhich: "I don't know whether you will die upon the gallows or of the pox" (the "pox" referring to syphilis).

John Wilkes, English radical (NOT relate to John Wilkes Booth): "That depends on whether I embrace your Lordship's principles or your mistress."

Travails with Tech Support

First, go and read THIS.

Trust me, when Mrs. OWW can't post, or even see her blog, she is... cranky. Irritated. Ready to remove heads with MY bare hands ("Kill 'em Honey - I know just where to hide the bodies...").

It seems that one of our friends has a friend with access to 2500 acres of woodlands. This friend of a friend also has a backhoe.

I think he (the friend of a friend) may also know exactly where Jimmy Hoffa is.

Actually, I suspect that my friend (not the friend of a friend) may also have some... knowledge that I. Don't. Want. To. Know.

Fortunately for my nightmare situation, Mujibar-The-Tech-Support-Weenie managed to fix things to my beloved's satisfaction, thereby sparing me the trauma of removing some of Mujibar's important body parts with a dull paring knife.

I will sleep soundly this evening, knowing that the paring knife will stay safely in it's appointed place...

Oh, So Civilized...

.... and tolerant, and cultured, right?

Go to this YouTube video, and then tell me that again!

Do you know how to measure a mob's mentality? Take the IQ of the stupidest member of the mob, divide by the number of people in the mob, and there you have it.

Those clowns are idiots.

Ad-Ware

Currently chasing a nasty ad-ware thingie that's infested a co-worker's home PC.

There is a special place reserved for these folks. And if I ever manage to meet one of them, the Jury of My Peers will return "Not Guilty".

AssHats!

More on Veteran's Day

For those that have defended it, freedom has a taste that the protected will never know...

Veteran's Day

This is the 11th Day of the 11th Month, the day that guns fell silent in 1918.



The 11th of November was originally called "Armistice Day". In America, it later became "Veteran's Day", in England and the Commonwealth, "Remembrance Day".



Like a lot of Vets, I have a bit of a difficult time with Veteran's Day. I didn't do much, just floated around on a couple of US Navy ships, worked hard most of the time, and partied when I could. So, when the politicians say all these nice things about Vets, I have a hard time believing that they could possibly be referring to me.



They're talking about the guy two doors down the street. He's a Navy CPO, a submariner ("bubblehead" to those in the know), who's currently in Afghanistan of all places, making sure that some SpecOps folks get the gear they need to operate.



They're talking about Butch and Dan, who spent twenty-plus years running around in various submarines, doing whatever they were told to the very best of their ability. Since they're pretty bright and determined guys, there's no doubt in my mind they did it well.



They're talking about my Father-In-Law, one of the last of the China Marines. He served in China from 1946 right up to the time the last Marine was pulled out.



They're talking about John, who did two tours in Viet Nam in the US Army. He was, according to him, "Dinged a couple of times".



And my Dad, of course. US Army (Infantry) 1941-1946, France and Germany. Dad never talked much about his war. But he always knew that we were proud of him. Dad isn't around this year, as he passed away in July, aged 85.



Thanks, Guys.

The "Second Bill of Rights"

There's been some talk about a "Second Bill of Rights". The enumeration of these "Rights" goes all the way back to 1944, to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's fourth Inaugral Address.

Here they are, lifted from Wikipedia:

The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;

The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;

The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;

The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;

The right of every family to a decent home;

The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;

The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;

The right to a good education.

So, here's the problem, as I see it: These are all admirable goals, but WHO decides?

WHO decides what a "good education" is, and who gets the "good education"?

WHO decides what "adequate medical care is", and who gets it?

WHO decides what a "decent home" is, and who gets it?

And... WHO decides the method of paying for all this, and WHO pays the bill?

More Politics

It's pretty evident that Sen. Obama wants higher taxes. You can see the actual numbers HERE.

We (Mrs. OWW and my humble self) would get hammered by an Obama administration. These are hard numbers, folks.

Just from the expiration of the "Bush Tax Cuts" Mrs. OWW and HimSelf would get hammered. And trust me - we ain't even low-end "rich".

We're not hurting, right now, but with Obama, our charitable giving would get a hard second look.

Why? Look at the numbers, and think - If the Gummint is taking over, the Gummint can damned well try to pick up the slack.

Without my help, ThankYouVeryMuch.

Reading Rob Smith

I had a post in my mind, all tightened up and ready to go, about politics and public policy and international relations. All reasoned out, logically organized, and just about perfect, when I made a Big Mistake.

I have a nasty habit. I talk to myself while I'm thinking about things. And I said to myself, "Bejus! That's some GOOD stuff, OWW!"

"Bejus?" I thought to myself. Where'd that come from?

It came from HERE.

I met Rob once, at a blogmeet. The "Wreckle in Jeckyll". 'Nuff said. Google it - then you'll know.

After re-reading some of Rob's posts, my carefully crafted, logical, rational and thoughtful construction went right out the window.

Just dayum!

Laptop Computers

I acquired a Compaq Presario laptop last year - a gift from my Dad.

It came with Windows Vista Home Premium (and ain't that a mouthful?) and a suite of the usual crapola - "trial" software and "special offers" for high-speed internet access.

Most of that had been eliminated by my Sis, whom Dad had deputized to be the System Configuration Wizard.

Over the past year, Vista has been getting "flaky" - it would lock up with the busy whirlythingie if I left it just sit there for five minutes. I know this 'cause I timed it. Three or four times, five minutes every time.

I spelunked around the web, and found Gizmo's Best Freeware (HIGHLY recommended by OWW), and once there, found THIS, which led to THIS, which are also both HIGHLY recommended by OWW, with the caveat that if your system is running well, DON'T FUSS WITH IT! If it ain't broke....

Alas, none of these tweaks helped.

At least three other people with identical laptops didn't have this problem, so I decided to do the dreaded System Restore To As-Shipped condition.

The System Restore took most of yesterday (after backing up my data), and most of that time was spent in very carefully removing the stuff I didn't want on the system, such as Office 2007 Student (I use Office 2003 Professional) and adding in the stuff that I use.

So far, so good - I'm back up and running, and it doesn't lock up after five minutes of idle time.

So far.... after all it IS Windows, neh?

Birthdays

In my side of the family, birthdays tend to run together.

My Mom, my two sisters, and I all have our birthdays within a month of each other.

I've carried on that tradition with my middle daughter, Chickie. It makes for a chaotic two days.

Of course, it starts much earlier, like about two weeks earlier.

Below is a text message conversation between Chickie (now 14, as of yesterday) and Moogie (aka "Moooooom!")


Text messaging with Chickie the other morning:


Me: Good morning sunshine! Happy Wednesday. We are half way there!
Her: Yay! Only 10 more days to go!
Me: I still don't have your list. :)
Her: Just an IPOD, and a card.
Me: But what kind? Color pref? Etc.
Her: Blue :)
Me: Yes, blue. But what is the name of the IPOD you want?
Her: Ipod nano, 3rd generation.
Me: Oh, and blue. :)
Her: Yep
Me: Ok, Blue Shuffle, got it.
Her: No. Ipod NANO 3RD GENERATION.
Me: What's that?
Her: What i want for my birthday!
Me: What do you want?
Her: Omg. a blue ipod nano, 3rd generation.
Me: What's that?
Her: Look it up.
Me: Look what up?

For some reason, she wouldn't answer my text messages any more. I wonder why?

So, of course, my bad self had to get in on this. I kept making references to "Shuffle, 2nd Generation, Red" which of course was hidden somewhere in the house (it wasn't).

Drove her freakin' nuts for seven (7) looooong days.

Heh....

What I'm afraid of is that what goes around, comes around.

Today is MY birthday.

I gotta wonder what Chickie has in mind for Me......

Bed-Time Stories

My almost-14-year-old daughter, Chickie, still has a pretty good case of "Hero-Daddy-Worship".

She just poked her head into my office and asked me to "tuck her in", and "tell a story" about when I was young.

I try to dredge up, from the dim mists of memory, stories about how it was, 'way back when, or even not so far back.

I do try to keep them entertaining, albeit with lessons from life.

She seems to like this "tucking-in" routine.

She's a Good Kid, and I'm very pleased with her.

Except when I'm sorely tempted to resort to regular beatings...

She is, after all, 'mostest 14....

"Liberal"?

What's so liberal about a "Liberal"?

More gas taxes - so I don't drive so much, thereby using less gasoline, and when I do fill up, the gummint gets more of my money.

More income tax - so the gummint can "take care of the less fortunate" twerps who wouldn't learn anything while they were in school, WHEN they bothered to attend school.

Censorship - also known as the "Fairness Doctrine", which means that the liberals from "Air America" get to hijack air-time from Limbaugh/Hannity/Boortz/any-conservative-at-all, because "fairness" means that "Air America" failed outright in the market-place of ideas.

More Censorship - "Free speech on college campuses" - unless you're Republican or Libertarian.

Bias in the Media - Dan Rather. MSNBC. CNN. CBS. AP. Reuters. Most newspapers, especially the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the L.A. Times.

The list goes on and on.

So, the Big Question remains - why, oh why, are McCain/Palin doing so well?

Could it possibly be that Lincoln was right when he said, "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time. You can't fool all of the people all of the time."

The Political Season

We are now entering the "political season".

For about one month, every four years, most American voters actually give a hard look at the candidates for President.

These American voters will look at a candidate's positions and proffered policies, and decide which candidate to vote for.

Above all, these voters will look past the pictures and the sound bites, and try to discern the bones and the body of the man (or woman, should that ever come to pass), and try to divine what's in that person's mind.

They will give a hard (though cursory) look at the record.

Then they will go out and vote.

Should be interesting, this time around, don't you think?

Hurricane Ike Missed Me By A Bunch!!

Of course, I'm VERY glad that Ike didn't come anywhere near us here in SouthEast Jawja.

On the gripping hand, my heart goes out to those folks who heeded the warnings and ran to a safer place. They're going to come back to flooded and destroyed homes and towns.

For those that chose to stay, my sympathy is, ummm.....limited?

How's about non-existent?

You knew that Ike was coming - and you stayed. You rolled the dice, and you lost.

My sympathy is reserved for the folks who have (because they've solemnly sworn to do so) to go in and either rescue your dumb butts, or remove your corpses.

Domestic Discussions

We've been here in SouthEast Jawja for five years, almost, and in the same house for four and a half. And now, we're thinking about having a place built for us - to our specifications.

Hooo-boyoboy!

Do we really want to do this?

Well, on the one hand, we get to specify exactly what we want, right down to the light-bulbs.

On the other hand, we get to bleat and moan at the construction people until it's what we want, and done right.

On the gripping hand, if it doesn't turn out well, we have only ourselves to blame.

Of course, we could just stay put, and expand/remodel to make what we have better suit what we think we want.

But the idea of getting exactly what we want is.... seductive.

Get thee behind me, temptation!

Dodging Hurricane Bullets

First there was Fickle Fay - who slow-danced her way up Florida, raining like Billy-be-Damned - and did zippo (comparitively) to us here in SouthEast Jawja. Some of our folks who lived near rivers, who weren't required to get flood insurance, are having a very rough time indeed. But the monster floods that we might have had didn't happen.

Now Horrible Hanna is churning her way up to the Carolinas, bypassing Jawja entirely. Hard, very hard on the Carolinas - but here in Jawja we be counting our blessings.

The projected track for Itchy Ike puts him out into the Gulf of Mexico. Presuming that happens, no one has a clue as to what he'll do next. Ike has been up to a Cat 4 in strength, and if he gets into the Gulf, he could turn back into one of those monster storms again, and go to who knows where?

We've got our supplies in. We're ready to ride it out if we can. We're ready to run if we have to. And we're ready to help out as we can.

Mexicans Going Home???

So, the illegal aliens are going home in "Record Numbers".

The returnees have "put pressure on social services".

And "advocates" for illegal aliens are "disturbed by the trend".

See the story HERE.

Advocates for immigrants are disturbed by the trend. Albert Ruiz, an organizer for the League of United Latin American Citizens, agrees that more undocumented immigrants are going home — but says families are being torn apart in the process. If a father is deported, Ruiz says, his family members in America are forced either to fend for themselves or follow him to a country where they've never even lived.

Well, boo freakin' hoo. I may weep in my cerveza.

These clowns (the illegal aliens) have been costing us (that's the US citizenry) a butt-load of money for a long time - much more than they contribute to the economy.

So Jose and Maria have to haul their cute little family back to Jalisco, or wherever doesn't cause me one bit of heartburn.

Now, let's finish that blasted fence and really put the screws to the Mexican government to solve their problems instead of exporting them.

Fickle Fay The Tropical Storm, Or...

... How my teenage daughter managed to make me forget about the crappy weather we're having here in the beautiful, genteel Souf.

Shall I explain?

Can you say "Thirteen-year-old female"?

Sheesh... I really don't want to go there.

Ostensibly, this is about Chickie's retainer - which is a gizmo that one uses after one's braces are removed from one's teeth - which Chickie has managed to lose, somewhere, somewhen in the last 12 hours.

In reality, this is Chickie being... thirteen years old.

Read "Monumental pain in her parents nether regions".

By the way, we're having all kinds of other fun with Tropical Storm Fay - who has decided to park her moldy self's northern edge right over my house for the next thirty-six hours.

It's going to be a lonnnng weekend, neh?

More on Weather

In the post below, please keep in mind that hurricanes affect weather hundreds of miles from the center of the storm.

Looking at the scale, you will see that we are within 100 miles of the CENTER of where Fay is projected to be - right in the "pink" zone.

Not just a sigh - more like what Achmed the Dead Terrorist said, in that high-pitched voice: "Holy Crap!" (See Achmed HERE... and Achmed is definitely NSFW!)

What Can You Do About Weather?

Not too much - you just get to suffer through it.





I rather suspect that we're going to have a Very Interesting Time over the next few days...

Sigh....

Not A Good Day

When I got back to Georgia after watching my Dad die (Not fun, but I'm glad that I was there), I had a number of things to deal with besides my own personal grief.

Just getting me out to Washington (State, NOT D.C., thank goodness!) was Very Expensive. Not to mention the costs of just being there, what with hotel and food, etc.

Then there was the simple stress.

Simple?

Riiight.

And when I got back, well, I guess that grief doesn't show much on me.

I've been getting some... odd, shall we say, looks and comments.

Listen up, people. Death and stress and grief and sadness manifest themselves in many different ways with different people.

I miss my Dad. I love him, and miss him. And my Mom. And my grandparents.

The me you see every day is not the me that's inside.

I don't beat my breast, and weep and wail.

I just do what Mom and Dad would expect of me.

I get on with it. I hug my girls. I hug my wife. I treasure each day, from beginning to end. I do my best. As Mom and Dad would expect me to do.

So, what don't you see?

You don't see the hole in my heart. You don't see my tears, when I'm alone. You don't see the aching endless void that is the place that my Mom and Dad hold. The ones who always could be counted on for a wise word or three when I needed advice, or when I neede a little propping up when I was unsure of myself. Or a swift kick in the ass when that is needed.

What you do see is OWW getting himself together to meet the day. To cope. To do the best I can.

Because that's what's expected.

Family

Just had a chat with brother Tom.

We strolled down Memory Lane about The Old Man and a few of his friends.

When Dad was dying, his fried Joe would come over to play the piano, and sing a little bit, some of the stuff that Dad grew up with. Joe is also in his 80's, and God Willing, will be around for a few more years.

Dad and Dr. Wylie, between them, kept me out of jail more than once.

I paid, oh Lord, did I pay - in sweat and humiliation - but I learned, Oh, My, did I learn.

In later years, Tom, Mike, Bob, and I would draw on The Old Man's store of knowledge and logic, and request advice - which we mostly followed.

We all have "Dad Stories" - and all of the stories have a point.

We all have "Mom and Dad Stories" - and all of them have a point.

Most of them have pointy, sharp, and "Oh, You Dummy!" type of points.

We miss you...

Fairness Doctrine My Aching Patootie!

An interesting poll by Rasmussen (see the article HERE)

Fifty-seven percent (57%) say the government should not require websites and blog sites that offer political commentary to present opposing viewpoints. But 31% believe the Internet sites should be forced to balance their commentary.

That 31%? They can KMA...

Or maybe da Gummint can force what's his name that runs the Daily KOS to provide free access to me so I can get my viewpoint across to his audience?

Naaaa...

A Visit Home

Kevin showed up today. Flew in on the Great Iron Bird.

From the 'Stan.

In one piece.

For the next two weeks, we (all of us) shall treasure "The Pleasure of His Company".

Until then we'll sweat bricks until this USN "Box Kicker" comes home to stay.

In five minutes we talked about hide-out guns, Afghan Army troops, K9 dogs & Handlers, mortars, close air support, and artillery. And .. other stuff.

Back Home Again

Well, I finally made it home on Tuesday, after more than 24 hours of dinking around airports and riding on heavier-than-air contraptions.

Dad's death has weighed on me for a few days now, causing much reflection and thought, but surprisingly little pain.

It is a comfort to know that he died the way he wanted surrounded and attended by family. My sisters Connie and Rosy, who cared for him in his last months, especially Rosy who lived with him. My eldest daughter, who visited frequently. My brothers Bob and Tom. His lady-friend Norma, with whom he had a morning telephone call at 8AM, "Just to make sure we're both still around". And myself, making the trip from South Georgia to Olympia on what I expected to be a "normal" 3-day visit that turned into an "in the nick of time" sort of thing.

This quote, from Gerber Daisee, summed up the way that Dad approached life, from his time as an Infantryman in WW2 to the last days of his life.

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well-preserved piece. Rather, it is to skid across the line broadside, thoroughly worn out and shouting,

"WOW - What a ride!!" "

Dad was always a gentleman. Unless you were a complete clot, he always had a kind word and a place at the table for you. He wasn't perfect, by any means, but he could be remarkably tolerant of the foibles of others - as proof, I offer the fact that he let me live past my 15th birthday.

His acts of kindness and generosity were and are legendary. His curiosity of the world around him remarkable. His command of the English language was a marvel. And when angered, his command of invective (not necessarily swearing) was awe-inspiring (and frightening, if you were on the receiving end!).

Mrs. OWW wrote him a letter, HERE.

So long Dad. I'm missing you more every day....

Stuck In Seattle

And sleepless, too.

The blasted airplane broke some gizmo in the Engine Dept. (Caps intentional), so here I am at Seattle-Tacoma International. We had backed away from the gate at 7:50AM PDT, and were just starting to taxi when one of the 737's two engines was shut down. We went back to the gate, the airplane mechanics looked at it (and scratched and belched, no doubt), then they declared the engine unfixable for an undetermined amount of time, and that they would reschedule us, and would we please go to Carousel #9 to retrieve our bags so we could go through the ticketing/bag check-in process all over again?

(snark) Thank you for flying Continental! (/snark)

I shouldn'g bitch, I guess. At least the damned engine didn't quit during take-off.

I've had a pretty good grouch going since 9:30AM, but I'm mostly over it now. I rolled out at 4AM to get from Olympia to SeaTac in plenty of time, since I knew that I was going to have to deal with TSA people for a while (more on that in a later post).

My new flight takes off at 9:30PM and I arrive at Jacksonville at 10:30AM tomorrow morning, presuming the weather doesn't get in the way.

Sigh.

You just gotta know it's going to be a bad week when....

Status Check From The West Coast

I'm still around, just haven't had much spare time recently.

Due to my father's death on the 23rd of July (about which I'll write at a later time due to raw nerve-ends on my heart-strings), I'm out here in Washington (State, not D.C.) to help take care of the various things that have to be done.

Watch This Space in about two weeks, when all the stuff should be completed, and I should be back home.

In the meantime, look HERE for good advice on "How To Be Taken Seriously As A Blogger". The context is the "BlogHer" convention, but the advice applies to any "serious" blogger.

Of course, I don't care whether I'm taken "seriously" or not - I write this thing to please me and a few other people. Read my masthead up above for the basic rules.

San Fran's Idiots Strike Again!

The latest whacko proposal out of San Francisco ( HERE ) is not just "misdirected", but if the GOP has any smarts at all, can be used to play Whack-A-Mole with any Democrat dumb enough to stick his/her head up.

"SAN FRANCISCO - A measure seeking to commemorate President Bush's years in office by slapping his name on a San Francisco sewage plant has qualified for the November ballot.

The measure certified Thursday would rename the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant the George W. Bush Sewage Plant.

Supporters say the idea is to commemorate the mess they claim Bush has left behind."

Let's start out with what GW had to clean up when he entered office:

1. The Clinton Administration's economic mess - remember the "Dot-Com" implosion?

2. The Clinton Administration's foreign policy fiascos - North Korea and the Sudan.

3. The Clinton Administration's non-handling of the Taliban and their Al Quaida allies, which culminated in the attacks of September 11th, 2001.

Independence Day

We did our burgers and 'dogs.

We did do beer/wine/soda/water, depending on age and preference.

We did do a quick reading of the Immortal Words. Took a whole ten minutes. Chickie asked the hardest question: "Daddy, what does 'sacred honor' mean?"

I didn't even stutter. "That means you do the right thing, even if it hurts you."

Then came the good part.

Meelie Noh and I went out for fireworks on July 2nd, and she's been frantic with wanting to make things go bang for Two Whole Days. She started counting hours and minutes at 9 this morning.

So, we (being Chickie, Meelie, Mrs. OWW, Hose-B, Mrs. Shopping, and assorted kid-friends set off sparklers, and poppers, and whiz-bangs, and screechers, and fountains, and googly-eyes, and more whiz-bangs.

Did I mention beer/wine/soda/water/lemonade?

We had a SPLENDID time!

John Adams

In addition to being America's second President, he was also a signer of our Declaration of Independence.

On the 3rd day of July, 1776, after the Declaration had passed the Continental Congress, but before he signed, he wrote the following to his wife Abigail.

It ought to be commemorated as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Day's Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.

Here at OWW's house, we shall have a reading of the Declaration of Independence, followed by food, fireworks, and other sorts of merriment and celebration.

And a moment of quiet reflection on the true words of John Adams, who pledged his life, his fortune, and his sacred honor, that I might live free.

Prelude

It's two days before Independence Day.

July 4th is the day that Americans celebrate as the birth day of our country.

This is the day that a group of men signed the Declaration of Independence, declaring "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

Keep in mind that these men were British citizens, subjects of the Crown of England. That by signing the Declaration they were committing High Treason.

Why would they do this?

These men were The Power Structure of the Colonies - doctors and lawyers, big-time land-owners, publishers and merchants.

Can you see one or two of our current big-time heavy hitters doing this? Knowing that if the Government caught them, they'd be hung by the neck until dead?

Not bloody likely.

So, the question still stands.

Why did these men do this?

Figure it out for yourselves. Put yourself in their shoes.

Would YOU sign? Knowing that if they caught you, they'd string you up?

Would YOU "pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."?

Well, Where are They?

Lifted from Kim duToit. I would have filed off the serial numbers, but... Here they are.

Why aren’t all of the Hollywood celebrities holding telethons and asking for help in restoring Iowa and helping the folks affected by the floods? Where are the Dixie Chicks, and Sean Penn in his rescue boat? Why isn’t the media asking the tough questions about why the federal government hasn’t solved the problem? Where are all the FEMA trucks and trailers? Why isn’t the Federal Government relocating Iowa people to free hotels in Chicago? When will Spike Lee say that the Federal Government blew up the levees that failed in Des Moines? Where are all the 24/7 lurid news tales of cannibalism and unnecessary drownings? Why did Iowans evacuate so prematurely; why are they not holed up in deathtrap sports centers? Where are all the pics of White looters stealing high-end tennis shoes and big screen television sets? When will we hear Governor Chet Culver say that he wants to rebuild a “vanilla” Iowa, because that’s the way God wants it? Where are the people declaring that George Bush hates rural White people? Why are the Iowans not complaining more and demanding to be saved? How come in about 2 weeks, you will never hear about the Iowa flooding ever again?

I think these are all fair questions. Not comfortable questions, no, not at all.

But I think that they are fair questions.

OxyMorons

Just think about "oxymoron". Makes one think of real dummies on oxygen, right?

I received this list from my in-laws, and got a chuckle or two or three out of them. However, I have a few comments on most of them, which I hope will be good for a grin or two.

Subject:Top 35 Oxymorons


35. Government worker.
(I have seen gov't workers actually working. At least twice.)

34. Legally drunk.
(Oh, it's allowed, as long as you don't drive/walk/talk.)

33. Exact estimate.
(Had one of those once. An auto mechanic. He lied.)

32. Act naturally.
(Tried that. Got arrested.)

31. Found missing.
(Tried that. Almost got drafted.)

30. Resident alien.
(Tried that. Scully didn't find me. Darn, she's cute!)

29. Genuine imitation.
(I do a pretty good imitation of normality, most of the time.)

28. Airline food.
(Eaten only by roaches and rats and desperately bored travellers.)

27. Good grief.
(Defined as given to an enemy. I've arranged that, at least once.)

26. Government organization.
(Not an oxymoron. Gov't IS organized to a fare-thee-well.)

25. Sanitary landfill.
(Consisting of Joey from Jersey, Frank from Chi-town...etc)

24. Alone together.
(Only when I forget to take my medicine...)

23. Small crowd.
(See 24 above)

22. Business ethics.
(No argument.)

21. Soft rock.
(Yech. I once heard a Muzak rendition of Magic Carpet Ride.)

20. Butt head.
(Like Artesians. "I seen 'em! They's ugly!")

19. Military intelligence.
(See 20, 32, 33)

18. Sweet sorrow.
(No argument)

17. Rural Metro (ambulance service)
(Carries candidates for Darwin Awards?)

16. "Now, then..."
(Well, "now and then I gets an idea...")

15. Passive aggression.
(Like the guy in Tianmen Square who stood up to the tank? Brave, but not too bright.)

14. Clearly misunderstood.
(I stood up instead of shutting up.)

13. Peace force.
(See 32, 31)

12. Extinct life.
(See 33, 34, 35 and the Darwin Award Honorees)

11. Plastic glasses.
(I wear 'em. So what?)

10. Terribly pleased.
(Only for Cosmic Calamities and other special occasions.)

9. Computer security.
(It can be done. But it IS unusual.)

8. Political science.
(Right up there with Social Science.)

7. Tight slacks.
(Can be a Good Thing, on the right person, which I'm not.)

6. Definite maybe.
(I use this one all the time! Got it from my Dad.)

5. Pretty ugly.
(No argument, it's an oxymoron)

4. Rap music.
(No argument again. "Rap Crap" comes to mind.)

3. Working vacation.
(If the Prez does it, it must be possible.)

2. Religious tolerance.
(Guaranteed by the Constitution. Of course, these days,
in America, it probably IS an oxymoron.)

1. Microsoft Works.
(Actually, it does, and fairly well. Microsoft's products
are unfairly hammered for lots of alleged failures which are
actually the result of Microsoft being the big guy on the
block, and therefore the biggest target around.)

Not-so-modern Husbandry

Evidently, I'm a superior sort of fellow - by the standards of days gone by.

142 As a 1930s husband, I am Very Superior Take the test!

I regret to inform you that I'm not always well-turned-out, shaved and in a suit on Sundays, nor am I silent in my sleep. In most other respects I'm quite acceptable, which I put down to my late mother's methods of correction - trust me, gentlemen, a wooden spoon alongside the noggin ensures attention to manners and other matters! Also trust me on this: when Mom decided that Dad had to know about my shortcomings, things were decidedly "bad". This was a rare occurrence, God be praised - Dad let me live.

Mrs. OWW and I have applied the principles above as imparted by our parents. Reports from the parents of our childrens' friends are encouraging - "Delightful", "Very nice", and "No trouble at all" come back to us.

Of course, we are properly shocked, and ask, "What'd you do with our kid?"

Darwin Award Contender

First, read the story HERE.

Then, think just a little bit.

Young Master Wesley, 17 years of age, can't get out of the way of a large, noisy, train that's coming right down the railroad tracks.

After reading the story, my instant reaction is: Why doesn't CSX (the railroad in question) sue the daylights out of Ms. Whiddon for:

1. Failing to teach her son that trespassing is illegal.
2. Failing to teach her son that choo-choo trains on tracks ALWAYS have the right-of-way.
3. Failing to teach her son that trying conclusions with large moving vehicles is a losing proposition.
4. Causing psycological trauma to the people operating the train, due to 1, 2, and 3 above.

Ms. Whiddon is supposed to be an "Educator" - so why didn't she teach her own son?

On the other hand, her son won't be able to spread his defective genes around, will he?

And yes, I'm an insensitive clot, with a bad attitude and a rotten disposition.

So, go ahead. Sue me.

I'll clean your clock.

On this Day...

This is what the Boys (including my Dad) saw.

Thanks, guys.....

Battle of Midway

Today marks the start of the Battle of Midway in 1942.

The Imperial Japanese Navy wanted to secure Midway as a springboard to invade Hawaii.

Alerted by a team who had broken the Japanese codes, the US Navy moved USS Enterprise, USS Hornet, and USS Saratoga and their escort groups to intercept the Japanese task force.

In a battle lasting for three days, the outnumbered US Navy sank four major Japanese carriers, and stopped the Japanese fleet.

One US carrier was sunk.

USS Saratoga (photographed by Robert Ballard's team) now lies at rest, three miles down.

The Way Life Is

Life is what happens when you're making plans for your life.

Plan: Spend some time with your Dad.

Life: Be with him while he gets a stent put in for a heart condition. Then, AFTER the stent, find out that he's not doing well.

Plan: Manage Mrs. OWW's diverticulitis so that surgery is not required.

Life: Riiiiight! Probably surgery is going to happen, RSN (Real Soon Now).

Plan: Hillary and Barak beat each other up so bad that McCain wins in November.

Life: Who knows?

Plan: Not run out of beer tonight.

Life: Got neighbors?

Memorial Day

Monday will be Memorial Day - when we remember all those of us who have died in the preservation of freedom.

By "us" I include men that I knew, whose names are carved upon The Wall.

By "us" I include those who went before me, in WW2, Korea, the 'Nam, WW1, and followed me in Panama, Greneda, and the Sand Box - all the wars and skirmishes that have preserved and protected the United States.

By "us" I include all those who fought and died with us - the Filipinos, Brits, Poles, Canadians, Viet Namese, Chinese, French, Belgian, Dutch, Kuwaiti, Norwegian, Danish, Czechs, and many more.

On this, our Memorial Day, I remember you all.

God Bless, and remember, so long as just one remembers, your spirit will never die...

Holocaust Remembrance Day

During the time that I was growing up, and through my young adult-hood, the 1st of May meant the day that all of the Iron Curtain countries "celebrated" the Victory of The Masses over the Czars.

Now, it's a little different.

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The day where I, an American citizen, a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP), get up on my hind legs and say, "Never Again".

You think I'm kidding you?

Just remember, all you haters, just remember who the greatest killers in the history of the world really are.

We really did flash Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Had we deemed it necessary, Berlin and Munich would have met the same fate.

So, Damascus and Tehran, do you really want to get frisky?

Do you?

And yeah, I'm feeling very cranky this evening. It's been a long week so far...

Another Acronym

In Jawja, in April, any man's fancy turns to... boats.

My friends Charley and Ken acquired a 19-foot Boston Whaler a while back, which they now want to sell.

There's only one little problem - when the motor is run at full tilt, after about fifteen seconds, the outboard motor just... stops. BlaaaahhhhhThud.

Awww...crap.

Much discussion about probable causes ensues, with a collective opinion that there's a fuel-feed problem.

Ken sighs, and mutters to himself.

"What's that, Ken?" Says Charley.

"B.O.A.T. spells 'Bring Over Another Thousand' " says Ken.

So there you have it....

Not-happy Tax Day

I've already paid my damned taxes.

Actually, we're getting a "refund" of the interest-free loan that we've been compelled to make to the gummint, blast their miserable hides.

My wife and I make enough that Los Federales take a large chunk, the Staties take another, smaller chunk, and then they oh-so-graciously deign to "refund" some to us.

What "they" keep would pay ALL of our bills (plus two nice dinners for four at Outback) for three months. ALL of our bills include food, electric, gasoline & insurance, but NOT clothing, telephone & cellular or satellite TV.

Once again, I am severely pissed off.

Grrrr.....

Taxes and Friends

Now that my travails with the truck appear to over, it's time to comment on Taxes and Friends.

Taxes first, on the theory of getting the unpleasant stuff out of the way.

Presuming that you actually pay attention when you are doing your taxes, work out the percentage that the Feds, State (and maybe city) keep of your money. Then, factor in sales, excise, and property taxes. Assuming that you are actually in the taxpaying class, you'll be dismayed. If you're like me, you'll then be totally cranky. THEN, if you're as annoyed as I am, do a quick-and-dirty analysis of what your money gets spent on.

Grrr.....

On to more pleasant subjects.

What's a friend? Who are they? How can you tell?

OWW's definition runs like this:

My friend will come over to my house and open my fridge (He/She either has a key, or knows where the key is, and uses it whenever they please. I trust He/She - and He/She doesn't abuse that trust), see that I'm out of beer, and call me on my cell to let me know. Ten minutes later, he calls back to say that he's on his way to the store anyway, so don't worry about the beer, and what do I want for dinner?

My friend will listen to me babble on about something about which I know next to nothing, and will call bullshit on me right to my face.

My friend, when I call yelling for assistance, drops whatever he's doing and comes a-running. I'll also get a very hard time later for being semi-stupid in public. If it's really bad, I get a great silence about my stupidity.

When I'm feeling down and melancholy, my friend tries to move me along.

When I get too full of myself, my friend brings me back to reality.

When things go really well, my friend celebrates with me - without envy.

When things go sour, my friend commiserates with me - and not even one "I told you so". (Unless it involves a car's mechanical workings - which generates a few "Dummy" and "Idiot" comments. The favor is generally returned at a later date. What goes around, comes around!)

I have many nice, pleasant acquaintences.

I have a few dear and close friends.

Bob, Charley and Sharon, Tom and Kathy, Mikey, Bud, Brad and Susan.

So, today, when I was sniveling and moaning about our tax bill, Charley says "Hey! You should be happy! You're making enough money to complain about your taxes!"

Yah.

I think I said pretty much the same thing to him last week...

Car Stuff

Actually, it's that double-de-damned truck.

My Dodge Dakota decided that it no longer liked it's radiator.

Sigh.

Replace the radiator, plus the coolant. $248.57 and four hours later, I'm good to go, right? Plus however much it's gonna cost 'cause the A/C radiator/condenser had to be removed, making necessary an airconditiner service. (Trust me, if you live in Jawja, and summer-time is coming up, you NEED an air-conditioner in your car.)

Nope.

Then I find that in addition to the radiator, the thermostat's gasket was el-sucko.

Awww....CRAP!

$5.94 plus $0.36 tax plus two more hours got me a truck that doesn't puke coolant all over the place.

Ah, well.

When you own a vehicle with 99,548 miles on it, you have to expect something is going to break. So far, the rest of the bits and pieces seems to be holding up OK. With a little care, I should be able to get at least another 50K miles out of the engine/trans/rear-end.

I hope...

There is one good thing to come out of this.

My neighbor Charley was kind enough to lend me a car for the last two days.

A Jaguar XJ6, the sedan with that gorgeous 4.2 litre DOHC in-line 6-cylinder beast under the hood. NOT a stop-light Grand Prix vehicle. Not at all. But, at 75 MPH, when you stick your foot into the throttle, you sink back into the seat under a fairish accelleration which continues in a rather ghastly almost-quiet until you look at the speedometer and find that you're moving along in vigorous violation of any speed law in the land (unless you're in Montana).

That Jag has over 150,000 miles on the odometer.

I think I want one....

Geno's Cheesesteaks Rules!

From Fox News, HERE:

PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia agency has ruled that English-only signs at a famous cheesesteak shop are not discriminatory. The Commission on Human Relations says in its Wednesday ruling that the sign at Geno's Steaks does not violate the city's Fair Practices Ordinance. Joe Vento posted the signs at his shop in October 2005. They read "This is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING 'PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH."' Critics allege the policy discourages customers of certain backgrounds from eating there. They say the signs discourage non-English speakers from going to the shop. Vento says he has never refused service to anyone because they couldn't speak English.

Commentary: I guess the "Commission on Human Relations" listened to the various comments that the citizenry made, and decided that "English" is indeed the language of the land...

Arthur C. Clarke

Author and visionary Arthur C. Clarke has died.

There were two giants of Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century - Clarke and Heinlein.

Renowned for 2001:A Space Odyssey, a better look at his story-telling would be a collection of short stories: Tales from the White Hart, of which my favorite would be "The Defenestration of Ermintrude Inch".

We'll miss you, Mr. Clarke. Perhaps you can continue your conversations with Mr. Heinlein now...

Friday Exhaustion

Since my last post HERE, we have completed the Great Server and Workstation Move, mostly.

There have been little bumps and excursions along the way, but nothing major came to a screeching halt. Except for the external email that didn't work for two days, that is.

On the Tuesday, all the Really Big Stuff worked. Our depositors never noticed a thing. Their money was there when they wanted it, our website was up and running with their account information, it just flaming-well worked.

Our email system runs on Microsoft Exchange, and it worked just fine - as long as you were working within the Small Financial Institution. But from the outside? Nada, zip, zero, bupkis and nothing.

As it turns out, our firewall didn't want to know about a change in IP addresses for email. Everything else was OK, the firewall just had a snit about SMTP from the outside.

Grrrr.....

After much heartburn, and an outside and very expensive consultant who really did earn every dime of his outrageous hourly fee, email came back up on Thursday. And we didn't lose a single email message. Because of Proper Prior Planning, we didn't lose ANYTHING. Not permanently anyway, it was just delayed a bit.

If this all sounds a little vague, that's my intent. I am NOT giving out any further info - and not for CYA, just for basic security.

I've been very busy for the last 3 weeks, and I am one tired puppy.

"So, OWW, why are you up at this late/early hour?"

Glad you asked! It seems that our Voice Response system decided to pick tonight to be a PITA about it's backup routines.

CP&C (Crap Pee and Corruption).

It's fixed - but now I'm REALLY tired.

G'night....

Moving A Data Center

Granted, it's a very small data center - about twenty servers, plus assorted routers, switches and other paraphenalia.

The SFI (Small Financial Institution) that I work for decided about a year ago to plan ahead for the next ten years, and build a brandy-new Administration building to serve our five current branches.

That includes a brand-spanking-new server room (my term) or "data center" (our Marketing Guy's term).

We have raised floors (to keep the cable mess to a minimum), CAT6 wiring (for Very Fast data flow - can you say "gigabit"?), and some new switches (also for gigabit). All this "giga" stuff makes my geek heart just giggle...

So now it's all ready - and we've been moving servers and switches and routers, Oh My! And changing IPs and wrestling with cable and sweating bullets to get all this stuff in place and running.

'Cause Tuesday, if it don't work, the handy-dandy wall out back will be ready for it's first bullet marks, after the hapless IT geeks have been stood, "Up Against The Wall".

So, that's where OWW has been for the last couple of weeks.

It's kinda like marriage - BEING married is great, GETTING married is... not so great.

Sigh. More Politics...

I see that Kim duToit and Emporer Misha, among others, are somewhat... irritated with John McCain.

Hell, I ain't too thrilled with him myself.

To be blunt, Senator, McCain-Feingold irritated me, and McCain-Kennedy flat-out pissed me off at you AND at one G.W. Bush.

But that does not blind me to reality.

Reality: There are alleged humans out there who will blow themselves, children, and retarded women up to terrorize and disgust us, and to make us give up.

There is at least one Islamist state out there which is actively pursuing nuclear weapons, and has indicated very strongly that they will use those nukes against Israel.

So, Kim has already stated that while he may puke all over the ballot box, he'll vote for McCain, probably.

Misha (and all the rest of the True Conservatives) really need to correct your cranial-rectal inversion and THINK about what a Clinton or Obama sitting in the Oval Office might mean for you and me, and for our children.

We, the "Party", need to get up on our hind legs and do two things:

1. Hold our collective noses, and vote McCain in November.

2. Presuming he can whup Clinton or Obama, we can and should hold his toes to the fire until he sees the sweet light of reason.

The Clinton/Obama (or vice-versa) would be a much bigger disaster, wouldn't it?

And, once again, to Mr. Fred Thompson: "Damn your eyes, Sir, for running a suck-ass campaign!"

Life It's Ownself

I've been debating a change in the way that OWW runs things on this mostly restrained place.

Lately (like for the last two freakin' years) I've been more politically oriented than personally oriented.

Something's not right with that.

Of course, my personal life has been pretty quiet, Thank Gawd!

No divorces, no jail time, no lawsuits, no alarums OR excursions.

Hmmm...

I could comment about the whackos that I work with, except that they're not whackos.

I could raise all kinds of hell about my weird-ass neighbors, but except for Charley, they're nice folks. And even Charley's a good guy, until he and his daughter who's visiting from New Yawk get into the red wine and stay awake until 3 AM playing the music too loud and laughing even louder which pisses off their immediate neighbor, but not me 'cause I'm across the street and two houses down so I don't hear that stuff. I just hear about it later....

Of course, there has been the usual minor dramas of Life It's Ownself...

My thirteen-year-old daughter having a melt-down and tear-flood.

Or the nine-year-old daughter getting cross-eyed mad.

Or the idiot doggies being idiot doggies.

Or, on this fifth day of February going out and voting in the primary election, in my shirtsleeves, because it hit 82 F today, and is currently 68 F at midnight, which absolutely breaks my heart!

Primary Day

Tomorrow is Primary Election Day, "Super Tuesday".

Finally, after all the preliminary hoo-haw, I will be able to render my choice for whichever candidate best matches what I like.

I don't like Madame Hillary, or Mr. Obama - they're dyed-in-the-wool moonbats.

I ain't thrilled with McCain - McCain/Feingold and McCain/Kennedy come to mind.

That leaves Romney or Huckabee.

Romney it is.

Blast your eyes, Fred Thompson, for running a crappy LOSER campaign!