I've Moved!

I can now be found at My New/Old place, which is named Swamp Gas. Come and visit...

More on Fort Hood

I have sent the following to the President, both of my Senators, and to my Representative. I urge you to do the same.

"Fort Hood Police Sgt. Kimberly Munley, who, though grievously wounded, did stand her ground and return fire, thereby saving the lives of unarmed soldiers and civilians, is hereby nominated by a Citizen of the United States, and Veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States, for the Presidential Medal of Freedom, with Bronze "V" for uncommon valor in the Service and Defense of the United States of America."

First, a tip o' the hat to Dr. J. E. Pournelle, who put the idea out there. See it HERE.

I'll begin with a definition from the Constitution of the United States of America:

"Section 3. Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court."

Now, presuming that Maj. Hasan is indeed guilty of murdering and wounding his comrades-in-arms, is it treason?

The argument that Dr. Pournelle raises is pertinent. "I would presume that arming oneself and shooting 43 US soldiers is (1) levying war against the United States, and (2) an overt act, and that Major Hassan should be charged with treason."

Dr. Pournelle also argues that previous speech and writings by Maj. Hasan lend credence to the charge of Treason.

There is, in my view, another reason for viewing Maj. Hasan's killing spree as treason: He turned on his comrades and killed as many as he could. This is the most heinous act a soldier can do - killing your own.

So, let us enumerate the charges against Major Nidal Malik Hasan.

1. 14 counts of murder.
2. 29 counts of attempted murder.
3. 1 count of Treason, as defined above.

Numbers one and three above are punishable, according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, "shall suffer death or such other punishment as a court-martial or military commission may direct."

IF Maj. Hasan is found guilty, of any of the three above, then he should be put to death.

It's not likely, though. The political correctness currently prevalent will label him as "disturbed" and he'll be committed to a "mental health facility", there to live a lot longer than his disarmed victims.

You Can't Make This Stuff Up...

Honestly now, if I were to tell you this story as a joke, you'd stare at me as if I was crazy.

See the whole story HERE.

Translated from De Telegraaf (in the Netherlands)

"EMMEN — Police in Drenthe province placed video images of an intruder on the Internet. Doing that damages the privacy of an intruder, is the opinion of the Lawbreakers Association [yes, it really exists — translator]. The Association filed a complaint with the National Ombudsman."

Yah.

A "Lawbreakers Association".

I can't wait until the ACLU hears about this one! They'll advise ACORN to rename itself in a heart-beat...

Publishers Buy Ink By The Barrel

I have noted, with much amusement, the Fox/Whitehouse kefluffle over the past week.

All through the week, the President's Men (and a woman or two) on various interview/opinion shows at CNN, NBC, MSNBC, ABC, in fact, everyone BUT Fox. Urging all the media outlets to "ignore Fox", "not treat Fox as a 'real news' organization, "Fox is all opinion", and the list goes on.

It appears that what annoyed the President's Men was that Fox News persists in reporting the news, and strictly seperating news from opinion.

Well, it would also appear that the effort of all the President's Men (and a woman or two) has fallen flat on it's face.

The White House offered up an administration official (I forget which one) for a pool interview, as long as the pool of reporters did not include a representative from Fox News.

The pool, led by CNN (to CNN's major credit) said, in effect, "Fox News is a major news outlet, and if Fox is not included, there will be no interview."

Heh.

Some things that the President's Men chose to ignore - Fox News has the biggest share of the news audience, and public opinion.

Mr. President, this is NOT Chicago. You are now playing on the American stage, and most Americans know B.S. when they hear it. CNN, ABC, NBC and MSNBC know this as well. You would be well advised to remember that.

Some politician or other coined a neat phrase: "Never argue with the press - they buy ink by the barrel."

Rush, the Rams, and the Rev. Al

By now, you are all somewhat aware of the brouhaha involving Rush Limbaugh's attempt to buy a piece of the St. Louis Rams.

In short, after some fabricated "quotes" attributed, falsly, to Limbaugh, the group attempting to buy the Rams dropped Limbaugh like a hot potato.

Then, Mr. Limbaugh did an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal (HERE) in which he has a few dyspeptic comments about Al Sharpton.

It didn't take long before my name was selectively leaked to the media as part of the Checketts investment group. Shortly thereafter, the media elicited comments from the likes of Al Sharpton. In 1998 Mr. Sharpton was found guilty of defamation and ordered to pay $65,000 for falsely accusing a New York prosecutor of rape in the 1987 Tawana Brawley case. He also played a leading role in the 1991 Crown Heights riot (he called neighborhood Jews "diamond merchants") and 1995 Freddie's Fashion Mart riot.

Now, Al Sharpton has threatened to sue Mr. Limbaugh. (HERE)

The Rev. Al Sharpton is threatening to sue Rush Limbaugh for writing that the civil rights leader played a role in two New York race riots. Limbaugh wrote that Sharpton played "a leading role in the 1991 Crown Heights riot" and the "1995 Freddie's Fashion Mart riot" in a Wall Street Journal column published Saturday. Sharpton called both allegations false.

This is from a guy who has repeatedly indulged in the worst sort of "race-baiting".

Mr. Limbaugh's other point, later in the column, had to do with the fabricated "quotes" attributed to him by CNN, MSNBC, and various sports writers. Those alleged "quotes" have been shown to be false.

The silence from CNN, MSNBC, and other sections of the media is deafening.

And the media wonders why MSA (Main Street America) doesn't trust them.

The Rams and the Bum's Rush

So, Rush Limbaugh, who wanted to buy a chunk of the St. Louis Rams has been shown to the door.

In the immortal words of the Reverand Al, noted tax evader and libel (or is it slander?) spouter, "It is a moral victory for all Americans — especially the players that have been unfairly castigated by Rush Limbaugh," Sharpton said in a statement. "This decision will also uphold the unifying standards of major sports."

Sharpton added in a telephone interview that major sports leagues shouldn't welcome owners who are "divisive and incendiary."

These immortal words from a man who claims that attempts to get him to pay his tax bill are racist, and who tried to hang Tawana Brawly around an innocent man's neck. And, if memory serves, howled with the rest about the infamous Nifong Case of Duke University.

In a word, my achin' behind.

In the immortal words of Justice Thomas, this is, indeed, a "lynching". High-tech or not, it is definitely low-rent.

The NFL, which swallows camels such as Michael Vick, is indeed straining at fleas such as Rush Limbaugh.

Yet More on the Nobel Peace Prize

I think I kinda knew this, once upon a time, but it had slipped my alleged mind.

Once upon a time Sweden and Norway were the same kingdom. When they were split, Norway got the Peace Prize, and Sweden got the rest.

Sweden awards their share through the Swedish Academy of Science.

The Nobel Peace Prize is given through a committee appointed by the Norwegian Parliament.

That makes the Peace Prize subject to the whims of the current Norwegian Parliament, which is very definitely a political exercise. Given that the Norwegian Parliament is very definitely "left wing", giving the President of the US the Peace Prize is rather obviously a political exercise.

And a dumb one.

The competence of the Committee is now explained. Politicians of either Right or Left are not noted for being anything other than... politicians.

Update to Nobel Peace Prize

I am NOT criticizing the Prez for bein awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

I AM criticizing the Peace Prize Committee. The Committee has obviously abandoned all objectivity. The Committee is obviously playing politics.

I did not hammer the Committee for Jimmah's Prize.

I did not hammer the Committee for Al's Prize.

I could have, and in hindsight, I should have.

I will, and am, hammering the Committee for President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize.

President Obama has accomplished nothing.

B. Obama and the Nobel Peace Prize

Our President, B. H. Obama, has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Nobel Prize is supposed to be awarded for ACCOMPLISHMENT. So far as I can tell, the Prez's award of the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded for INTENTIONS.

Sorry, Mr. President, but you have ACCOMPLISHED nothing.

The committee that awards the Nobel Peace Prize is more full of STUFF than a Christmas Turkey.

Whatever respect I had for the Nobel Peace Prize just went right out the window.

I am casting a suspicious eye upon the rest of the Nobel Prizes. I suspect politics, rather than accomplishment, is the main criteria for any of the Nobel Prizes.

You Don't Mess With The Old Farts...

... like this guy. From FoxNews:

= = = = = =

LAKE WORTH, Fla. — Authorities say a 91-year-old man in South Florida jumped out out of bed naked and held an intruder breaking into his house at gunpoint until deputies arrived.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said Robert E. Thompson was awoken Saturday morning after a burglar climbed his backyard fence and was met by his charging dog, Rettt, a Rottweiler and Doberman Pinscher mix. Thompson heard the commotion, grabbed his .38-caliber revolver and phoned police without ever getting dressed.

Deputies say Thompson fired a warning shot at 26-year-old Jose Pasqual after the intruder started to come toward him. Pasqual was booked in the Palm Beach County Jail and did not immediately have an attorney.

= = = = = =

I can just hear the dialog:

OF: "Hold it right there!"

JP: "Esay, Mon! Call off you MF dog!"

OF: "Esay your behind! Get your moldy butt down on the ground, or I'll let Rett chew on you after I shoot your buttocks!"

JP: "OK, Mon, OK! I be down on the groun'!"

OF: "Good! I'm old, and cranky, and tired, and I am the one with the gun and a dog with a bad attitude."

JP: "Mon, dat dog, he look MEAN!"

OF: "Yah. But he mind ME, not you. And he's hungry, so don't you wiggle, don't you move... or I'll shoot YOU and let HIM have a little snack..."

= = = = =

Heh...

Lance Corporal Joshua Bernard, USMC, RIP

On 14 August 2009, LCPL Bernard, USMC, died in action in Afghanistan.

An AP photographer got a picture of him shortly after he was hit, and the AP decided to publish it.

It shows LCPL Bernard surrounded by his comrades-in-arms, doing their very best to keep him alive. Ultimately, they failed, and LCPL Bernard expired during surgery.

The AP has been taking some flak from the family and the Dept. of Defense.

I have viewed the photo (HERE), and I see Marines, doing what Marines are expected to do: Fight, and never leave a comrade behind.

I am also minded of the third verse of the Marins' Hymn:

"If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven’s scenes;
They will find the streets are guarded
By United States Marines."

I was a squid, once upon a time (That's US Navy, to you who don't know), and I always slept better knowing that the Jarheads were on watch.

My Father-in-Law is one of the last of the China Marines.

I expect that when I make it "up there", I'll be greeted by my TSgt FIL, and he'll have LCPL Bernard with him. And after they're off duty, I'll be allowed to fill their glasses, and tell them some great whoppin' lies about the USS Tuscorora, the legendary ship with seven straw decks, an all Marine crew, and a glass bottom....

Just Bein' What I Am...

Van Jones, the White House's "Green Jobs Czar" has declared, live and on video, that Republicans in the Congress that oppose the President's energy initiative are "assholes". See the article HERE.

Van Jones, the Obama administration's "green jobs" adviser, told a group of listeners earlier in the year that the reason Republicans are stonewalling the president is because they're "assholes." Jones' remarks were recorded in a video from February that was posted to YouTube. He made the remark during an energy lecture in Berkeley, Calif., after a woman in the audience asked him why President Obama and congressional Democrats were having trouble moving legislation -- even though Republicans, with a smaller majority, didn't have as much trouble earlier in the Bush administration. "Well, the answer to that is, they're assholes," Jones said, to uproarious laughter. "That's a technical, political science term." The questioner responded, "I was afraid that that was the answer." But Jones said that, even though Obama is "not an asshole," others have to step up the fight. "Now, I will say this. I can be an asshole, and some of us who are not Barack Hussein Obama are going to have to start getting a little bit uppity," he said.

I must say, Mr. Jones, that you can indeed be an asshole. You're also a jerk, and a turd, and a slimy son-of-a-bitch.

Furthermore, sir, you are so clueless that if you dressed in a clue skin, doused yourself in clue musk, and did the clue dance in the middle of a field of horny
clues at the height of clue mating season, you still would not have a clue.

In addition to which, you have no idea of the proper use of vituperation, malignity, or of the fine art of aspersion.

You are a non-entity.

And yes, I do indeed oppose "Cap and Trade", and I have so informed my Congressman and both of my Senators. Which fact makes me an asshole as well, plus I'm a mean vindictive son-of-a-bitch.

If it should ever come to pass that you run for state-wide office in my state, I shall take the greatest of pleasure in voting against you. I shall savor the experience, and murmer to myself in round and dulcet tones, "Take THAT, asshole!"

And Now, For The Next Week...

... It's going to be All Teddy, All The Time!

Featuring assorted politicians trying to take advantage of Yet Another Dead Kennedy.

Prattling about Teddy's "legacy", and "what Teddy would have wanted", etc.

Mary Jo, of course, is not available for comment.

Pfui.

The Presidential Snitch Program

I know that I haven't posted for a while - just feeling lazy, I guess.

But guess what? I'm baaaack!

I got the below from the Whitehouse official site, HERE. I'm going to write a comment to it, and send it off to Flag at Whitehouse dot gov.

There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.

Dear Mr. President,

Facts are indeed "stubborn things", Mr. President. Among them are that nasty old thing known as "The Privacy Act", which was passed in reaction to President Nixon's infamous "Enemies List". Among it's provisions are that no branch of government may gather and keep data on private citizens' political speech.

Now then, Mr. President, you are President of the United States. That is an official position within the Government of the United States. Therefore, the provisions of the Privacy Act regarding political speech apply to you, as noted in the following:

(e) Agency Requirements.— Each agency that maintains a system of rec­ords shall—…

(7) maintain no record describing how any individual exercises rights guaranteed by the First Amendment unless expressly authorized by statute or by the individual about whom the record is maintained or unless pertinent to and within the scope of an authorized law enforcement activity;

You would do well to keep the above in mind.

I, Sir, decline to participate in this patently illegal "snitch" activity, save in one way. I must, Sir, report myself as being the perpetrator of a vile, disgusting rumor regarding your so-called "reform" of health care.

Here's the rumor:

"President Obama is attempting, with his attempts at 'reform' of health care, to make a daffy down dilly from whole cloth, and furthermore, he swears up and down that the result will smell as sweet as a real rose."

/s/ {full name and address redacted from this post}

"History Unfolding"?

I received the following in an email, and found it most interesting.

A very little research found that it was falsely attributed to Prof. David Kaiser, a noted and published historian at the US Naval War College. His blog is HERE, and the Snopes entry is HERE.

I found that some of the statements below, while cogently argued, are, in my own personal opinion, false, some are a "maybe", and others are true. I have placed my opinions in brackets after each paragraph.

I find especially odious the comparison between Hitler and Obama. Mr. Obama is NOT the reincarnation of Hitler. Chicago-style hard-ball politico? Yes. Socialist? Yes. Left wing? Yes. Mass-murderer wannabe? No.

One great distinction between the United States of 2009 and Germany of the 1930's is demographics. In the 1930's Germany was basically a "white" nation with a single ethnic majority (German), and a single significant minority, the Jews, to whom Hitler could tie all of Germany's ills.

The United States of 2009 also has a "white" majority, but that "white" majority is of many ethnic backgrounds - British, German, Irish, French, Spanish (yes, there was significant immigration directly from Spain!), Italian, Scandinavian, etc., and mostly of that unique shared political background, "American". The "minorities" are also quite diverse - Black, Hispanic, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc., and many of them are primarily "American".

In any event, some of the questions raised here are definitely worthy of vigorous and civil public debate.

History Unfolding I am a student of history. Professionally, I have written 15 books on history that have been published in six languages, and I have studied history all my life. I have come to think there is something monumentally large afoot, and I do not believe it is simply a banking crisis, or a mortgage crisis, or a credit crisis. Yes these exist, but they are merely single facets on a very large gemstone that is only now coming into a sharper focus. [Maybe] Something of historic proportions is happening. I can sense it because I know how it feels, smells, what it looks like, and how people react to it.. Yes, a perfect storm may be brewing, but there is something happening within our country that has been evolving for about ten to fifteen years. The pace has dramatically quickened in the past two. [True] We demand and then codify into law the requirement that our banks make massive loans to people we know they can never pay back? Why? [True. Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac] We learned just days ago that the Federal Reserve, which has little or no real oversight by anyone, has "loaned" two trillion dollars (that is $2,000,000,000,000) over the past few months, but will not tell us to whom or why or disclose the terms. That is our money. Yours and mine. And that is three times the $700 billion we all argued about so strenuously just this past September. Who has this money? Why do they have it? Why are the terms unavailable to us? Who asked for it? Who authorized it? I thought this was a government of "we the people," who loaned our powers to our elected leaders. Apparently not. [True] We have spent two or more decades intentionally de-industrializing our economy. Why? [True] We have intentionally dumbed down our schools, ignored our history, and no longer teach our founding documents, why we are exceptional, and why we are worth preserving. Students by and large cannot write, think critically, read, or articulate. Parents are not revolting, teachers are not picketing, school boards continue to back mediocrity. Why? [True] We have now established the precedent of protesting every close election (violently in California over a proposition that is so controversial that it simply wants marriage to remain defined as between one man and one woman. Did you ever think such a thing possible just a decade ago?) We have corrupted our sacred political process by allowing unelected judges to write laws that radically change our way of life, and then mainstream Marxist groups like ACORN and others to turn our voting system into a banana republic. To what purpose? [True] Now our mortgage industry is collapsing, housing prices are in free fall, major industries are failing, our banking system is on the verge of collapse, social security is nearly bankrupt, as is medicare and our entire government. Our education system is worse than a joke (I teach college and I know precisely what I am talking about) - the list is staggering in its length, breadth, and depth.. It is potentially 1929 x ten.[True and False - whoever this person is, he/she/they are NOT Prof. Kaiser.] .. And we are at war with an enemy we cannot even name for fear of offending people of the same religion, who, in turn, cannot wait to slit the throats of your children if they have the opportunity to do so. [True] And finally, we have elected a man that no one really knows anything about, who has never run so much as a Dairy Queen, let alone a town. All of his associations and alliances are with real radicals in their chosen fields of employment, and everything we learn about him, drip by drip, is unsettling if not downright scary (Surely you have heard him speak about his idea to create and fund a mandatory civilian defense force stronger than our military for use inside our borders? No? Oh, of course. The media would never play that for you over and over and then demand he answer it.) [True] Mr. Obama's winning platform can be boiled down to one word: Change. Why? [True] I have never been so afraid for my country and for my children as I am now. [True. Just look at the debt obligation that my children and grandchildren will be obligated to pay.] This man campaigned on bringing people together, something he has never, ever done in his professional life. In my assessment, Obama will divide us along philosophical lines, push us apart, and then try to realign the pieces into a new and different power structure. Change is indeed coming. And when it comes, you will never see the same nation again. [True] And that is only the beginning.. As a serious student of history, I thought I would never come to experience what the ordinary, moral German must have felt in the mid-1930s. In those times, the "savior" was a former smooth-talking rabble-rouser from the streets, about whom the average German knew next to nothing. What they should have known was that he was associated with groups that shouted, shoved, and pushed around people with whom they disagreed; he edged his way onto the political stage through great oratory. Conservative "losers" read it right now. [Maybe. This is NOT the Weimar Republic.] And there were the promises. Economic times were tough, people were losing jobs, and he was a great speaker. And he smiled and frowned and waved a lot. And people, even newspapers, were afraid to speak out for fear that his "brown shirts" would bully and beat them into submission. Which they did - regularly. And then, he was duly elected to office, while a full-throttled economic crisis bloomed at hand - the Great Depression. Slowly, but surely he seized the controls of government power, person by person, department by department, bureaucracy by bureaucracy. The children of German citizens were at first, encouraged to join a Youth Movement in his name where they were taught exactly what to think. Later, they were required to do so. No Jews of course,[True. This IS just what Hitler did.] How did he get people on his side? He did it by promising jobs to the jobless, money to the money-less, and rewards for the military-industrial complex. He did it by indoctrinating the children, advocating gun control, health care for all, better wages, better jobs, and promising to re-instill pride once again in the country, across Europe , and across the world. He did it with a compliant media - did you know that? And he did this all in the name of justice and ..... . .. change. And the people surely got what they voted for. [True] If you think I am exaggerating, look it up. It's all there in the history books. So read your history books. Many people of conscience objected in 1933 and were shouted down, called names, laughed at, and ridiculed. When Winston Churchill pointed out the obvious in the late 1930s while seated in the House of Lords in England (he was not yet Prime Minister), he was booed into his seat and called a crazy troublemaker. He was right, though. And the world came to regret that he was not listened to. [True] Do not forget that Germany was the most educated, the most cultured country in Europe. It was full of music, art, museums, hospitals, laboratories, and universities. And yet, in less than six years (a shorter time span than just two terms of the U. S. presidency) it was rounding up its own citizens, killing others, abrogating its laws, turning children against parents, and neighbors against neighbors... All with the best of intentions, of course. The road to Hell is paved with them. [True] As a practical thinker, one not overly prone to emotional decisions, I have a choice: I can either believe what the objective pieces of evidence tell me (even if they make me cringe with disgust); I can believe what history is shouting to me from across the chasm of seven decades; or I can hope I am wrong by closing my eyes, having another latte, and ignoring what is transpiring around me. [False] I choose to believe the evidence. No doubt some people will scoff at me, others laugh, or think I am foolish, naive, or both. To some degree, perhaps I am. But I have never been afraid to look people in the eye and tell them exactly what I believe-and why I believe it. [False conclusion] I pray I am wrong. I do not think I am. Perhaps the only hope is our vote in the next elections.

Citizenship

I am not a "subject" of my country.

I am a "citizen".

What does that mean?

I pay attention to the politicians who run the country in my name.

If I disagree with the politicians, I let them know it.

If I agree with them, I let them know that as well.

And, for the most part, I'm polite about it.

I must say that right now I'm not happy with "my" politicians.

I say "my" politicians because I don't think that I am being properly represented.

"Bailout"?

"Stimulus"?

My word, I do believe that we been snookered.

And our children and grandchildren will be paying for all this.

You can diss a man, or his family with impunity. When you nail his paycheck, look to your political life, Comrade! For the citizenry will remember...

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.