Friday, September 30, 2005

The Hopeless Optimist

Yeah, I know I haven't posted in almost two weeks. Shut up already, willya?!

Anyhoo, tonight, as I was driving home, I saw a car with this bumper sticker on it:

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then mankind will know peace"

(Great sentiment, isn't it?)

There were various other bumber stickers expressing similar sentiments on this car. Ah, the hopeless optimist. I should also point out that this car was flying a Cleveland Browns window flag.

Ah, the hopeless optimist. Ya gotta love 'em.

I suppose it's entirely possible that someday love and decency will overcome basic human nature. I suppose it's also possible that a pig can be taught to say the rosary and then be taken bodily into heaven. I'm not holding my breath that either one will happen.

Meanwhile, I will continue to expect the worst from people. I find that I am rarely disappointed that way.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

I'm Pissed Off!

Patrick Leahy has caved.

He has announced that he, along with Max Baucaus (D.--Mont.) will be voting for John Roberts.

It's now likely that he will get at least 80 votes.

I think Daily Kos says it better than I could:

Let me be clear. I had no illusions that John Roberts would not be confirmed. The fight NOW was for the NEXT fight. Dems needed to show spine now so that Bush would fear what they might do on the next one.

Who in their right mind would have any fear of the Democratic Senators now? No one. Even an idiot like Bush can see that.

One line that annoys me that I hear bandied about is that somehow this shows that "Dems will approve 'reasonable' nominees." For the life of me I don't understand that comment. Roberts may well be "reasonable," but how in the hell does anybody know?

Imagine this scenario. Bush nominates a conservative appellate court judge who has only 2 years of judicial experience, a history as a Republican partisan, worked at the Reagan White House and then in the Solicitor General's office. This nominee then basically cribs his "answers" from those provided by Roberts. Then what do Dems do? Because if you think Roberts is the only one of these Stepford judges they can find, you are sadly mistaken...

...Bush now has a free hand to nominate whatever wingnut he pleases. What are the Dems gonna do? Fight? Don't make me laugh.

So, so long the right to choose. So long Congress' Commerce power. So long checks on Presidential power. So long civil rights laws.


(emphasis mine)

I can't believe it. I just can't believe it. I just can't fucking believe it!!

I mean, the only thing we know about Roberts is that "Dr." James Dobson is delighted with him as the president's choice. That fact alone should convince anyone to the left of Rush Limbaugh that Roberts is the wrong choice.

I plan to write a letter to the editor on this. If it gets published. I'll let you know.

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Leave Our Children Alone!

So. The good folks at MoveOn have alerted me to the fact that the Pentagon, over the last three years (roughly the amount of time spent preparing for and fighting the war in Iraq), has been collecting a secret database of personal info about teenagers and young adults between the ages of 16 and 25. This database includes cellphone numbers, e-mail addresses, physical data, etc. The goal of this database is, of course, to determine likely targets for recruitment.

Does anyone else besides me think that this is REPREHENSIBLE?!

Have they no sense of decency? At long last, have they no sense of decency?!

I have no children (yet) but my cousin has four, including a daughter in junior high school. And I'm sure that not too long from now, she'll be put on this list. Along with thousands, if not tens or hundreds of thousands, of other children.

At any rate, there is a website out there--www.leavemychildalone.org--where concerned parents (and children!) can tell the Pentagon to leave them the hell alone!!!.

To you, the three people reading this, I say this: Spread the word. Tell your friends and family about this. Let them no that you will not stand for the military setting your kids up as targets for predatory recruiters.

Of course, the silence from the "liberal" media on this issue is deafening...

Sunday, September 18, 2005

$21.50

I'm guessing you're asking about the title of this post.

Well, like this post a few months ago, the title of this post indicates how much I just paid to fill up my tank.

Let me remind you people that I drive a Ford Escort with a ten gallon gas tank. Up until a few months ago, I had NEVER paid more than $15 to fill my gas tank--even when it was sitting on empty.

But now, even my tiny car is feeling the pinch of $2.75 a gallon for gas.

And I have to wonder: What is the limit? How high do gas prices have to get before people start to boil over? When will we as a nation finally say: "ENOUGH!"

When do our politicians finally declare that oil companies have a limit on how much they can charge?

When do we finally start a project to ensure that this country becomes completely energy independent in ten years?

The answer is: When hell freezes over.

Friday, September 16, 2005

Laughing My Ass Off!!!

Some pictures are worth 1000 words. There is no number high enough to express how many words THIS picture is worth:



I laughed so hard I nearly pissed my pants.

Thanks to snopes for the image.

Back to Normal

Whew! That's the first time I've ever run a continuous update on a blog. That's more posts over the course of a couple hours than I usually do over the course of a month.

And I apologize for any typos, misspellings, or out of order posts. I was both tired and excited last night (not to mention a little tipsy!)

Anyhoo, it's back to normal for now. Look forward to a similar series of entries in two months when the Buckeyes take on That State Up North (probably).

Peace out!

HENS WIN!!!!!!!

FINAL SCORE: TOLEDO 8 INDIANAPOLIS 3!!!!

8 runs
15 hits
2 errors

BUT WE WIN!

There's not much to be proud of in Toledo in this day and age, but WE WON THE GOVERNOR'S CUP!!!!!!

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Bottom of the 8th.

Mud Hens 8. Indians 0.

Signing off, folks.

If the Hens lose this game, I will shit myself.

It looks like the Governor's cup will be in Toledo for the next year!

Top of the Eigth

Up next: Martinez, HOOPER!, and Wise.

11:39 Another pitching change for Indy.

11:41 Sandy Martinez hits a hard grounder. 1 out.

11:42 HOOPER! hits a double!

11:43 Wise hits to advance HOOPER! to third.

11:45 Thames hits a high fly, but not far enough to score HOOPER! 2 out

11:48 Wise steals second. Count is 3-1

11:48 Mike Hessman HOMERSSSSS!!!!!!!

Hens, part 10

Double Play!!!

Grilli has pitched 7 great innings

Hens still lead, 6-0!

Note: I'm trying the best I can to follow this game on the radio. Any errors are simply the fault of other people!!!

Hens blog, part 9

Mark Woodyard up in the Henpen

Blogging the Hens, Part 7

Bottom of the 7th.

Indianapolis up. now one out.

Hens Update, part 8

Indy: double down the line, runner on 2nd.

I think it's time for Grilli to sit down--he has pitched a beauty.

Blogging the Hens, part 6

Inning 7th

Score 5-0 Hens.

Bases loaded.

time now 11:28 p.m.

3 outs. Coming up: bottom of 7th.

Blogging the Hens Part 5

Top of the 7th.

Score: 5-0 Pinch hiiter Jason Smith.

Will keep posting.

Blogging the Hens, Part 4

Six innings down. Score: 5-0 Hens.

Jason Grilli mowed 'em down again, 1-2-3.

Looking good!!!

Hens Update

Time: 11:06

Inning: top of sixth

Score: 5-0 Hens!

Two outs this inning, two more runs scored!

Blogging the Hens

Date: 9/15/2005

Time: 10:53 p.m.

Score: 3-0 Hens

Inning: bottom fifth

Marcus Thames just hit a 3-run homer at the top of the fifth. Currently the Hens lead.

Indianapolis just made their third out of the inning. Coming up: top of the sixth. Mud Hens lead, 3-0.

Blogging the Mud Hens

Date: 9/15/2005

Inning: Bottom 5th

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Big, Fat, F###ING DEAL!!!

So. Britney Spears had her baby.

Words cannot begin to describe how little I care about this. You should consider yourselves lucky I even added a link to the story.

With everything that's going on in the world today, the importance of this event doesn't even begin to compare.

Imagine standing at the base of the Empire State Building. At the top is the most important news story of the day. Now, get a jackhammer. Start digging. Keep digging until you are as far below ground as the top of the ESB is above it. Now imagine there was nothing but clear glass below you. You STILL wouldn't be able to see how far you'd have to dig before you reached the importance of the Britney Spears baby story.

Huh. I guess maybe words can describe how little I care about this story.

These Seem Appropriate...

A couple of photoshopped pictures of President Nero--er, I mean, President Bush.






Note: The top photo is a remix of two pictures taken the same day!

Sunday, September 11, 2005

Lest We Forget...



Here we are, four years later, and it would seem we are no better prepared for a disaster of these proportions than we were four years ago.

I fear for the future of this country.

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Snarl!

Growl. Bark. SNAP! GRRRR!!!!

I hate the whole fucking state of Texas and everyone and everything in it (except for the refugees from New Orleans).

For those of you who are unaware, I'm a BIG Ohio State fan. Just check the colors of the Google ads to the right (profits from which, by the way, are pledged to the USO).

SO you can understand why I'm a bit upset right now.

Of course, some of the blame has to be placed on Jim Tressel, for not STARTING TROY SMITH!!! If the other team has a skilled, extremely mobile quarterback, then the best way to counter that is to deploy one of your own.

My only consolation is that Michigan also lost this weekend. Of course, they lost to Notre Dame, which means the ND fan in my office will be impossible to live with for the rest of the week.

And,of course, some of the blame must also be placed on the Buckeyes. Seriously. I've seen Pop Warner teams play better than that.

I'm too pissed off to write more right now.

Friday, September 09, 2005

The Hens Rule the Roost!

The Toledo Mud Hens win again!!!

To the three people reading this blog, let me explain: The Toledo Mud Hens are my local triple-A minor league baseball team. They are the farm team for the Detroit Tigers. And they had the best record in their league this year. They are in the playoff for the Governor's cup--the top award for their league.

I went to their game tonight. They are in a best-of-five series with the Norfolk Tides, the farm team for the NY Mets. They won, 4-2.

It may possibly have been the best game I've ever seen.

There is something you must understand: Triple-A minor league baseball is the top tier of the minor leagues. Players in this league are only one step away from playing in the majors. As a result of this, they are driven, determined, and hungry. That means they spare no effort. Most of them are young (only one Mud Hens starter was born before 1976), and they all want a chance to go to "the show".

As such, there are no boring games at this level. Case in point: The Hens scored 3 of their 4 runs tonight with two outs.

Tomorrow night they have a chance to win the best-of-five series. I won't be there in person, but I will be cheering them on--while watching my beloved OSU Buckeyes as they take on Texas.

The minor leagues have saved baseball as we know it more times than I can count. And I am grateful that they will always be there, regardless of what happens to the major leagues.

Links:
Mud Hens
Norfolk Tides
International League

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

They Said It Better Than I Could, Chapter 2

Via Daily Kos:


The Senate Democrats have put together an accounting of Bush's failures:

Iraq
Approximate number of U.S. troops currently in Iraq: 139,000

Percent of coalition forces contributed by the U.S.: 85.7

Weeks since the Pentagon developed a plan to draw down U.S. forces in Iraq to roughly 40,000 by mid-2005: 98

Approximate amount appropriated by Congress for Iraq operations so far: $218 billion

Approximate amount spent by the U.S. in World War I: $205 billion

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) found: 0

Number of U.S. service members killed in Iraq: 1,886

Number reported wounded by the Defense Department: 14,265

Approximate number of medical evacuations of U.S. military personnel performed since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom: 55,000

Number of National Guard soldiers killed in Iraq through August 27, 2005: 269

Number of National Guard soldiers killed in the entire Vietnam War: 97

Number of Iraqi military and police killed since training began (June 2003): 3,051

Estimated number of insurgents in Iraq (November 2003): 5,000

Estimated number of insurgents in Iraq (June 2005): 15-20,000

Estimated number of 107 Iraqi military and special police battalions that are capable of operating independently: 3

Amount charged to American taxpayers by Halliburton to build a movie library for its employees: $152 million

Number of movies in the library: 10,000

Total number of nations contributing troops to Iraq as part of President Bush's "coalition of the willing" at some point during the war: 37

Number of these nations that either have withdrawn or plan to withdraw their troops from the coalition: 14

Average size of troop contributions by nations with troops currently deployed to Iraq, excluding the United States, United Kingdom, South Korea, and Italy: 186

Terrorism

Days since September 11, 2001 that Osama bin Laden has remained uncaptured: 1,454

Days after bombing Pearl Harbor that Japan surrendered to U.S. forces: 1,365

Number of times President Bush mentioned the "war on terror" in one month before the 2004 elections: 71

Number of times in the six months following the 2004 elections: 66

Number of terrorist suspects the Bush Administration claims have been convicted since September 11, 2001: 200

Number that have actually been convicted: 39

Recruiting
Recruits needed per month for the rest of the fiscal year, if the Army is to meet its annual goal: 12,396.5

Highest monthly total of Army recruits this year: 8,086

Number of months the Marine Corps missed its recruiting goals between January and April 2005: 4

Number of months the Marine Corps missed its recruiting goals in ten years before January 2005: 0

Prior to 2004, years since the Army National Guard last missed its annual recruiting goal: 11

Consecutive months the Army National Guard has missed its monthly recruiting goals: 9

Number of the six Reserve Components that met their recruiting goals last month: 2

Rate of loss of Army captains and lieutenants, the Army's junior officers, in 2004: 8.5

Average rate of loss of Army captains and lieutenants, 1996-2004: 7.3

Resignation requests submitted by Army Reserve Officers in 2001: 15

Resignation requests submitted by Army Reserve Officers, September 2003-September 2004: 370

Percent of Army enlisted special operations personnel leaving the force in 2004: 13

Percent of Army enlisted special operations personnel leaving in 2003: 6


There's much more--visit the link!

Monday, September 05, 2005

The Latest Addition to the Family



Welcome to the world, Samuel McAfee (my newest second cousin)!

Sunday, September 04, 2005

Oh God, NO!!!

Rehnquist is dead!

No doubt now DUIbya and company are ready to pick another Scalia clone to replace him.

Ladies, I hope you like all those years you were able to vote, 'cuz you're about to lose that right.

And that pesky right to privacy? That's gone too!

Those troublesome Miranda rights? Say goodbye to 'em!

Freedom of the press? GONE!

Get ready to spend the next 30+ years in a fascist state.

To all you Bush voters out there: GO TO HELL!!! You have effectively fucked us all for the next 30 years!

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Friday, September 02, 2005

What The HELL is Going On?!

The City of New Orleans is 80% underwater.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, dead.

Desperate survivors are seeking any possible means to get to safety, many resorting to violence.

And where is our government?

Here we are, almost four years to the day after the attacks of September 11th, 2001, and it seems that our federal disaster responders are apparently no better prepared to handle this tragedy than they were four years ago.

An Aside: A co-worker of mine got the call the day before yesterday. He is an Army reservist, and they basically told him to grab his boots and report to base. He's already gone south, and will be gone six months to a year. I shudder to think that this man, after being deployed twice since September 11th, could once again meet a tragic fate right here at home.

The President spent two extra days on vacation after this crisis happened. Two days in which he posed for photos (see below), gave speeches about Iraq and Social Security, and otherwise generally ignored what is arguably the worst natural disaster in this country's history. Then, he allowed press photographers to snap pictures of him gazing somberly out the window of his plane as it flew low over the devastation. I've seen the pictures. He looks utterly lost and helpless.

I've seen that same look before. It was on his face as he sat in an elementary school class four years - 9 days ago, after being informed that America was under attack. It would seem that, just like on that sad day, he has NO idea what to do next.

I just can't help but wonder: Where is the savvy team of political handlers that got this worthless piece of shit elected, not once, but twice? Where are the people that convinced a tiny majority of this country's population that George W. Bush was a better choice for President than his oppponent?

It would seem that the skills necessary to get someone elected are not necessarily the same skills necessary to run a country effectively in a crisis. We learned that lesson four years ago. Now, sadly, we are learning it yet again. Too bad it's too late to do anything about it.

Thursday, September 01, 2005

You Know What They Say...

...about a picture being worth a thousand words:




Holy shit! Holy, holy, HOLY SHIT!

Local prices in my neck of the woods are averaging about $3.10/gal.

Anyone besides me think maybe it's time we looked for an alternative energy source?!