10,000BC or better known as 10,000 Bad Cuss words...

because that what I was saying after watching this bad movie. Wow this movie stunk! It is amamzing that people who probably didn't even understand fire were wrapping their minds around advanced battle tactics.

Don't waste your time with this one!

Why guys get married......

this is going to get me killed......

What more needs to be said?

This is the front page of the Independent here in Colorado Springs. Really what more can I add to this picture? Like some of my friends I am happy to see a change in the leadership of this nation, but now the hard work begins. Many people assume I am a Republican because I served in the military, not true. Not all military people are Republicans there are many Democrats that serve also (much to the chagrin of the Governor of Alaska and her type of Republicans). I have been a registered Democrat since I was 18 yrs old. I am what they call a "Blue Dog Democrat". If you don't know what that means then you will soon (search Wikipedia on Blue Dog Democrats). Many of the Democrats that won in Republican states are called "Blue Dogs". We are moderate to conservative in nature when it comes to spending, but are more open to social programs. Our own John Salazar is a member of the group. As I said earlier the Blue Dogs are gaining ground in the Democratic Party and Ms. Pelosi needs to remember that and not try to force them into anything or else they will side with the Republicans. Sadly I really do not have much in common with the Speaker from the 8th District of CA (San Fran). I'm also not a big fan of Harry Reid also. I think the first change the new President should make is to the Democratic Party leadership, I don't think they are going to play nice.

Please somebody shut her up.......

Governor Palin made this comment the other day in North Carolina:
We believe that the best of America is not all in Washington, D.C. We believe" -- here the audience interrupted Palin with applause and cheers -- "We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation. This is where we find the kindness and the goodness and the courage of everyday Americans. Those who are running our factories and teaching our kids and growing our food and are fighting our wars for us. Those who are protecting us in uniform. Those who are protecting the virtues of freedom."
So how do you define what a “small town”? What is the size of town before it no longer counts? 150, 500, or 1000? The town she comes from has around 5000 so I’m sure it counts. I come from a town that has close to 5 million people, I’m pretty sure Seattle is one of those places that the Governor wouldn’t put on her list of “Best of America”.
Do people actually write this stuff for her or is this like Bush when he goes off script? So I guess my 21 years in defense of the constitution didn’t count because I didn’t come from a small town. The pride I feel in my heart when I see the flag flying some how doesn’t count because I didn't come from a small town. The men and women from large cites cross America who gave their lives in the defense of this country doesn’t count because they came from a large city. Wow so sorry people you just don’t count according to the cover model Gov.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME! This is by far the most ignorant thing I have ever heard. Plus I’m pretty sure I’m offended. Let me think a moment, yup I’m offended. This woman needs to go back to where ever Wasilla is and never leave that town again. Her 15 minutes of fame are up.
She is by far one of the most ignorant politicians I have ever heard.

Another sad truth......

A Sad Truth.......

Help Get the Word Out!

In the modern digital age do politicians believe that they are not being recorded and everything they say is kept?

Why Rik isn't allowed to play golf anymore

This is an actual comic. No changes were made to it.

All Hail the technoviking

I just saw this on You Tube and laughed my butt off. If you get the chance go to You Tube and search on Technoviking. After you watch this of course.

Unfair advantage?

I just heard Charley Gibson ask if the new swim suits that the US swimmers are wearing give them an unfair advantage. Huh??????? Are we to be hamstrung because our scientists and industry have teamed up to invent a substance so Speedo could make a swim suit out of? If the other countries want the same advantage then they can do one of two things: 1) Buy the damn suits and put them on their swimmers (I’m sure Speedo will sell them. I have seen them on the Aussie swimmers) or 2) invent their own space age material and build their own suits.
I’m sorry but isn’t it the job of the US Olympic committee to ensure our athletes have the best possible training and equipment? I mean we invented new lighter metals for bicycles, lighter better track shoes, and even Mark Spitz had his little Speedo suit in 1984. It isn’t like something like this has never happened. The Soviets had whole battalions of scientists working to make undetectable steroids and the French just swap out urine samples so their people can win.
Man I am so tired of our people apologizing for our inventions and how well we do on the world stage. I blame it on Political Correctness; those two words should never go together any way. There is nothing correct about politics.

Way too funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Power of Language

I have been thinking a lot about language lately. It is an election year so I guess I’m a little more sensitive to what people are saying. I have always been a proponent of using the English language properly and hate it when I hear it being slaughtered because somebody is too lazy to use it properly.

Recently I was happily revisited by an old favorite of mine. The song is titled, “The Language of Violence” by The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy. The song is about homophobia (another one of my pet peeves but that is for another day) and has some very pointed lyrics talking about how language can be used to reduce people to inanimate objects. I will let Michael Franti’s words speak for themselves:

But dehumanizing the victim makes things simpler

It's like breathing with a respirator

It eases the conscience of even the most conscious and calculating violator

Words can reduce a person to an object,

something more easy to hate

An inanimate entity, completely disposable,

no problem to obliterate

It is amazing how so many cultures over the years have used the power of language to destroy cultures. The Nazi’s used the power of language to decimate the Jews in Europe, the British to dominate India, and now the Republican Party to destroy civil liberties in the name of “security”.

As I said it is an election year and that means I read George Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language”. Most people only know of Orwell though his haunted vision of the future in “1984” and his not so subtle jab at Communism in “Animal Farm” but he also wrote many essays during his lifetime and in my opinion “Politics and the English Language” is in the top two (the other is “Such, Such Were the Joys”). In this essay he rails against the improper use of the English language using Soviet propaganda as his primary target, but he also goes after English writers who abuse the language also.
The reason I read this essay every election year is to remind me to listen to the words that are being spoken by the candidates. Which reminds of another great song lyric. I will let Michael Franti’s great words describe it about in his song “Television, Drug of a Nation”:

T.V. is
the stomping ground for political candidates
Where bears in the woods
are chased by Grecian Formula'd
bald eagles
T.V. is mechanized politic's
remote control over the masses
co-sponsored by environmentally safe gases
watch for the PBS special
It's the perpetuation of the two party system
where image takes precedence over wisdom
Where sound bite politics are served to
the fastfood culture
Where straight teeth in your mouth
are more important than the words
that come out of it
Race baiting is the way to get selected
Willie Horton or
Will he not get elected on...

We have become a fast food culture and have become a slave to the television to get our news. It is amazing how many people vote for the person who looks better on television. Have you ever noticed after a "debate" (I use that word loosely since they are the furthest thing from a debate that can exist on this earth) the talking heads always comment first on who "looked" better that night. I would vote for a river troll if he/she could fix our health care problem or could provide an answer to our addiction to fossil fuels.

I am going to finish this by highlighting the final lines in “The Language of Violence”.

The power of words,

don't take it for granted when you hear a man ranting

Don't just read the lips, be more sublime than this

Put everything in context…..

Watch your politicians (and those around you) and don’t take what they are saying at face value. If you don’t pay attention we could get more of the same thing we have had for the last 8 years and we don’t need any more of that.

Dude's Rules

While stationed in South Korea my friend Bert Wallace created what he called “The Dude’s Rules”. They were created in response to his neighbor (Dave Brown) in the dorm. They shared a bathroom between their rooms (in AF speak they were “flush friends”) and Bert felt the need to enlighten Dave (also known as 1Db) about how dude’s act when one of them is in the bathroom.
1. Dudes don’t talk to dudes in the shower.
(The exception is in a locker room after a sporting event and you are all on the same team. Even then the talking must be kept to a minimum and only about the game.)
2. Dudes don’t talk to dudes while peeing.
(The exception to this is if there is a barrier in between but the dudes must keep their eyes focused upwards and at no time can there be eye contact).
3. Dudes don’t talk to dudes while sitting on the toilet. (There is no exception for this rule!)
4. It is perfectly acceptable to call a dude on the phone to get him out of the bathroom so you can use it.
(Yes Bert actually would do this to Dave if he felt Dave was in the bathroom to long.)
5. If there are three urinals are in a bathroom and one is being used a Dude will use the one furthest from the one being used.
(See rule #2)

We had a lot of fun with these rules while in Korea but it got me thinking about other rules Dudes should be following. Well some of these may not be rules; they are closer to guidelines I guess (much like the pirate code)
1. Let us ogle. We are going to look anyway; it's genetic.
2. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.
3. Sometimes we are not thinking about you, sorry.
4. We don't remember dates, sorry. Mark birthdays and anniversaries on a calendar and remind us frequently beforehand if it important to you or somebody in your family.
5. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it! (see rule #4)
6. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.
7. If something we said can be interpreted two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.
8. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials. This is especially important during sporting events.
9. Don’t EVER ask of us if an article of clothing makes you look fat. There is no acceptable answer to this so we refuse to answer this question ever.
10. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is. This is important to the next rule.
11. Most guys own three pairs of shoes - tops. What makes you think we'd be any good at choosing which pair, out of thirty, would look good with your dress?
12. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," we will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.
13. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as women’s beach volleyball, muscle car vs. sports car, or BBQ. And yes “Nothing” is a valid answer to this question. (See rule #3)
14. Yes, and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.
15. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine. Really. We just want to get there, time is important to guys.

While I have to admit many of items listed above don’t really apply to me (most of the time) now, many of them did over my many years of dating and many relationships. It is always fascinating to me the differences between men and women and what is important to them. I don’t know that “men are from Venus and women are from Mars” but they really don’t think the same way.

1st post in new blog

This is my first post to my blog site. Since the family blog site is designed for keeping everybody up to speed on what the family is up to, I took an idea from my friend David and decided to create another blog site that I can vent a little on. I plan on writing on a variety of topics that interest me.
Today I was watching CNN and there was a story about the plans for the US to build a wall along the US/Mexico border. O.k. what is that supposed to do for us, keep the Mongol hordes from invading? The Bush administration says it is to protect our borders from terrorists. Funny I seem to remember that the 9/11 terrorists came over the Canadian border and NOT the Mexican border. Somebody needs to show the boy genius a map and explain to him which one is Canada.
My next thought was, "Who is going to build this wall?" It seems that every time I go by a work site these days and I don't see many non-Latino builders on the job site. I can just see how this Government contract is going to go. One of Cheney's building buddies will win the directed labor contract and then they will go down to the Home Depot and load up a truck full of day laborers (who are probably illegals) to work on the wall for cheap. It will get 1/2 way done and then somehow the contractor will run out of money and we will have a new place for graffitti artists to practice on.
Why on earth do we need a wall separating Mexico and the US? Haven't we alienated ourselves from everybody else in the world already? Why are we trying to stop one of the only workforces we have in the country from entering the country? What is so wrong with setting up a work permit system that allows people to come here and work if they want to? It isn't like you are seeing Americans lining up to pick fruit or to clean hotel rooms. The Mexican immigrants are doing to jobs Americans refuse to do. If they want to do them let them, just figure out a way for the guest workers to pay taxes on the income they are making and we're cool. I'm sure there are many more issues that go with it but it seems pretty straight forward me.
Well that is my first post. I'm sure I could have done better but I'm tired and I think I will head for bed. Goodnight all.