TERROR ALERT LEVEL:

This krep was posted:

July 2010
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All commentary Copyright Stonestead.com, 2010. No part may be reproduced without permission. All statements within are the express view of the author and not necessarily those of his employeer, his clergy, his spouse, his friends or even himself.

And to think that people who said they could read were overly-twitterpated about the arrival of the year 1984 because of that book written a long time ago by that dead guy. You know the thing; the gubermint watching your every move, punishing thoughts they didn't agree with, history changing because they said it did and circumstances switching on a whim. The Ministry of Peace that taught you to hate the enemy and then one day love that enemy and hate some other one. All that stuff. And it was made all that more "true" because Ronald Reagan was President and we all knew - just knew - that he would mean the death of us all.

(This "thought" always cracked me up; you mean the guy who ran on and pushed for smaller gubermint was going to be a threat to its citizens because of... bigger gubermint? Really - and can I get some of what you're smoking before you finally grow up?)

But let's take a quick peek at the scorecard, shall we? The secretary of the treasury was caught - but still confirmed as secretary - after NOT paying his taxes. We're promised that this administration is a fan of the free market, but takes over private companies and says things like, "there will be time for big profits, but this is not that time." The gubermint closes private businesses where it didn't have to, (much less THE RIGHT to), while hiring massive numbers of temporary gubermint workers, then says the unemployment problem is fixed. They promise health care "for all Americans" after listening to a health advisor who says that rationing will be needed. They promise no cuts in Medicare and then - through the evil recess appointment - appoint someone who has already called for cuts in Medicare!

And that's just scraping the top of the scum off the top of the leeching field! When are we going to wake up?!? How long before the majority of Americans start listening to things called, The Disclosure Act and see that it actually STOPS political discussion? Seriously - how can this be happening?

Well, I think I see what's been going on; the left has spent decades upon decades taking over education in this country and has now been able to preach the things that they like; earth day, recycling, sex ed, enviro-nuttism, overpopulation, diversity, redistribution of wealth and virtually eliminate the things they don't like; math, economics, civics, history, ethics and the like.

Bravo to them. They've done exactly what they set out to do and done it very well. I can only pray that the pendulum will swing as far back once it goes.

The weekend was sort-of productive in that, 'let's try to avoid doing the big stuff on my list' sort of sense. There's a wall to be torn down, a shower to be rebuilt, a lawn to be mowed, plumbing to be repaired, a ceiling to be patched and so on and so on. I know -- let's go to the Children's Museum!

The original plans were to go swimming so as I gathered the kids to make the bimonthly run to the bank, MLD asked as if we were going to the swimming pool. I simply re-stated what I said, (get your shoes on and get in the car), and told her to get going. Once in the bank lobby I was struggling with trying to get the usual two week allotment of cash doled out properly, plus an extra hundred to cover the day's expenses plus keeping the kids behaved when MLD started to talk about her swimming suit.

Timing is not exactly her strong suit...

I corrected her, saying that I was a bit busy, that nobody else was wearing our swim suits, Mommy was still at home so there was NO. WAY. we were about to run out to the swimming pool! And then I quickly asked for $660 in 3 hundreds, 2 fives, 2 tens and 12 twenties, which adds up to $370. Obviously I needed some more quiet for concentration.

I corrected the cash situation and headed home. Only to find that Mommy was still a good half-hour away from being ready to go. The kids got to play and I got to sit down as we waited, so that kind of worked out.

Once at the Children's Museum I realized what a great gig they had going; the only real exhibit to speak of was an old, out-of-commission firetruck and even then they didn't have anyone on hand to explain what the different things were or what they did. The only fun I think they really had was as they were driving the truck I snuck up on the bumper and then threw myself on the wind shield as if they'd run into me. Every kid and most of the mom's thought that was pretty darned funny.

Friday ended the usual way - with catch-as-catch-can dinner and then Movie night. As should be.

Saturday was busy what with swimming lessons, lunch and then a belt ceremony. They're all green belts now and we got a brief explanation as to what all the colored belts and tape mean. It's pretty involved and can get somewhat intricate, but they continue to improve and move along. It's very good to see and I'm glad - despite the otherwise extravagant expense - that we got them involved in it an continue to encourage their participation. We were received with good spirits following the belt advancement which is far more than I can say about the swimming lessons; last year when the kids were learning in this very same pool I could have sworn that one of the instructors told the parents that we were free to bring our trunks and swim around with our kids.

Apparently I was mistaken because I was greeted by broom hilda telling me that unless I forked over a quick $19 American I was about to be chased from the county, thank you very much. Not exactly what I expected to hear but since that was pretty much the end of it I let it all go and chalked it up to her getting up on the wrong side of the bed. Meh. If that's the most horrible thing that happens to me all weekend I'll get out of it pretty darned well.

And speaking of that, during the brief sports-refuge on Saturday we went to Wally World and bought socks, pants, shirts and pajamas for a one-year old as well as wipes, a toothbrush and starter toothpaste. As I tweeted/booked, I'm part of our church's Orphan Care Team and the first part of our mission will be to supply and pack kits that will help young children transition from family removal to foster care. Since we're a small church I didn't expect too very much but I thought that if we could compile an "example" kit we could get church members to volunteer to buy these little things and we could gather the full kits and see that they are returned to the 'Mother Organization.' They supply the backpacks, we buy the stuff and they go to children in need.

It's a great mission and I was kind of wondering how much we as a church would be able to contribute, but I learned we got 18 volunteers to fill the packs. Amazing. I hope and pray we can continue that pace and then double it and double it again. Wow.

But what I thought the most interesting part of my whole weekend was that I felt way off. Out of sorts. Tweaked and somewhat strained. It was as if I was feeling some sort of shame for deeds I'd done wrong, was burdened by something I promised a friend but forgot or was about to receive some terrible dressing-down. Kinda like I'd forgotten our anniversary or something. As if I had some kind of awful secret that was in danger of being exposed.

Of course, none of that is true, (so far as I know), which makes the feeling even that more ominous. Aside from the minor detail of not mowing the lawn and putting off the total bathroom remodel I'm facing now I really don't think I should feel this hanging over my head. It's a bit creepy, to tell the truth and the sooner I'm rid of it the better I'll be.

I suppose the truth is that one way or another I'll be proven correct or have the feeling subside and then I can get on with living my life as normally as I can, but until then...

You Know You're Drinking Too Much Coffee When...

You answer the door before people knock.
Juan Valdez named his donkey after you.
You ski uphill.
You get a speeding ticket even when you're parked.
You speed walk in your sleep.
You haven't blinked since the last lunar eclipse.
You just completed another sweater and you don't know how to knit.
You grind your coffee beans in your mouth.
You sleep with your eyes open.
You have to watch videos in fast-forward.
The only time you're standing still is during an earthquake.
You can take a picture of yourself from ten feet away without using the timer.
You're the employee of the month at the local coffeehouse and you don't even work there.
You've worn out your third pair of tennis shoes this week.
You chew on other people's fingernails.
The nurse needs a scientific calculator to take your pulse.
You're so jittery that people use your hands to blend their margaritas.
You can type sixty words per minute... with your feet.
You can jump-start your car without cables.
All your kids are named "Joe".
You don't sweat, you percolate.
You buy 1/2 & 1/2 by the barrel.
You go to AA meetings just for the free coffee.
You walk twenty miles on your treadmill before you realize it's not plugged in.
You forget to unwrap candy bars before eating them.
People get dizzy just watching you.
Starbucks owns the mortgage on your house.
Your taste buds are so numb you could drink your lava lamp.
You're so wired, you pick up AM radio.
Instant coffee takes too long.
You channel surf faster without a remote.
Your birthday is a national holiday in Brazil.
You go to sleep just so you can wake up and smell the coffee.
You get drunk just so you can sober up.
You have a picture of your coffee mug on your coffee mug.
You short out motion detectors.
You don't even wait for the water to boil anymore.
You don't tan, you roast.
You don't get mad, you get steamed.
You help your dog chase its tail.
You soak your dentures in coffee overnight.
Your coffee mug is insured by Lloyds of London.
You introduce your spouse as your coffeemate.

Let me admit something right off the bat: politicians lie. Politicians have always lied and WILL always lie. They'll lie to get elected, they'll lie to stay elected and they'll lie about what they did when they were in office. I'm no babe in the woods here and I'm certainly not naive about the machinations that have always been a part of American politics. As Mr. Byrne said, same as it ever was.

But I long for the days of old. The days when it was harder to tell which was a lie and which was a 'rosy prognostication' about the future. A lie that could be argued for and which could be sold based upon some rather enthusiastic numbers. For example, saying that a new gubermint program would cost only 10 billion dollars over 5 years provided that GDP grew at 8% when average previous growth was around 5.6%. For that matter, I miss the days when the cost of gubermint programs were measured in billions and not trillions, but that's a story for another day.

Years ago politicians could fudge the numbers and paint a rosy picture knowing that it probably wouldn't happen exactly the way they were presenting it, but still - there was a chance of it coming through. Things fall this way and the current path is followed and the fall elections don't change things too very much and it could be close.

Of course there's also the change in the definition of exactly what a lie is. During the Bush Administration the word received a lethal dose of pretzel logic so that instead of being accused of something the speaker knows to be false it was simply changed to mean anything that turned out to be false. (The latter is so much more politically viable, you see) So that when the Bush Administration said that it was believed that saddam was developing and stockpiling weapons of mass destruction, it didn't matter that the WHOLE FRICKIN' WORLD thought the exact same thing. It wasn't something he made up in order to pursue a war, it was a belief that covered the entire globe. And in the famous State Of The Union address, the President said that British Intel reported that saddam's agents were in Africa trying to buy uranium.

If you're not smart enough to parse that sentence just report to your nurse; your next dose of valium awaits you...

But now, it's amazing how many politicians just plain think you're stupid. clinton would schmooze one group today with a line of bull and the very next day say the exact opposite thing to another group. Apparently he was very good at it because he never got caught. Or maybe it's just that a lie can't leave a DNA stain on a blue dress.

So today, how does this clown get away with saying that his "stimulus" package is doing a great job of creating "or saving" jobs, (and how do they measure those jobs "saved?") and then call for an extension of unemployment benefits? If his frickin' stimulus is going great guns and putting all these Americans back to work, why do we need more unemployment benefits? And you can't say that it's because there are still a bunch of people on unemployment, because once someone has one of those fancy new created jobs, they're removed from unemployment, thereby freeing up that money to go to someone else. And you can't say that the stimulus is going so well AND say that benefits need to be extended out to 2 years. If all these jobs are rolling down the belt, just grab one as it goes by.

Ah well, I'm starving and have to go fix some food. I've done nothing but eat all day long...

Well. Things are certainly spinning around here. Good news, bad news, stuff, work, family, friends, home repairs, no news, political stuff, car concerns and a whole host of other things are keeping my brain's to do list full. Something or somethings are always demanding attention and just when I start to focus there the doorbell rings and suddenly they all think it's a party and invite everyone they know.

Not. Here. Bub. I learned long ago - and through work, mostly - that triage is the most important part of crisis containment. In other words, first find the crisis and then work from there. So...

Our evaporative cooler died the big, mysterious death overnight into Monday. Got up in the morning to absolutely no cool air. That's a good sign when you're talking about your spouse but a very bad sign when you've just kicked off the dog days of summer. I do the best I can to check it out, (turn on the switch and test the breaker) and then determine that someone will have to be called. After he goes out and does a much more thorough search he lets me know that the pulleys have become detached, the unit was in need of maintenance and my float was bent, (and we all know how painful that can be!). Since they charge by the job he tells me that the first order of business will be a 'seasonal startup' to tighten (replace) the pulleys, the filters and lube the unit. 260 something for that.

Next will be to replace the float and that will run around 180. Including the service call it's nearly five hundred American to get back up and running. Bad news.

But the good news is that the guy got there the same day it failed, diagnosed the problem, fixed it in two shakes and we had the cash in the bank to pay for it all. A few hours of discomfort and we're back to enjoying the artificially cool air. Definitely not a crisis.

On Saturday I suffered what appeared to be yet another health set back; intestinal distress the likes of which aren't suitable for public outing. Pain, searing pain and then back to pain. Oh, and wearing a hole in the carpet. Fatigue and headaches had cameo roles as well and none of that leads to a good night's sleep, (well, the fatigue might but sometimes you're just too tired to sleep), and that leads to grouchiness and irritability. Not good.

But with all that time on my back I was able to work through things again and I think I came up with an answer; Friday night saw the family having a Little Caesar's party pack where they made their own mini pizzas and Daddy made crazy bread and pretzel bites for everyone. It's a family favorite with the twist of the kids getting to make their own pizza. I was planning on heating some leftover pizza I had in the fridge but given all the other food available I was filled up pretty quickly. Only to suffer pretty seriously in the coming days.

That's when I put it all together; I believe that the concentration from the butter on the crazy bread twisted my intestines in knots and was possibly proven right when the symptoms eventually faded. This is both good and bad news because if I know the problem I can help to avoid it, but if I have to give up garlic that will be a very bad thing. But certainly not a catastrophe.

The Wif informed me today that The Binkster's tooth that is currently bothering him is experiencing the exact same problem that a previous one did and the cure is the same as before: root canal. He's scheduled for the big drill on next Monday and this will be his third. He's only four years old and he's going to have three more root canals than I've ever had! And the cynic in me starts to wonder why we're doing all this work on teeth he's going to loose anyway, but once the little guy looks up with those eyes and says, "Daddy, my teeth hurt" the question is no longer a question in the least.

So it's off to the dentist with all the modern drugs and laser-guided machinery and cosmetic fixes that make it look like they were never there in the first place. Scary? Perhaps if you're the child but these things are so commonplace today in the country with the world's greatest health care that it's more likely an asteroid will fall through the ceiling than to see something go wrong with the procedure. Not a crisis.

Another long-term problem we've been fighting with is a water leak that decides to manifest itself above the kitchen while My Lovely Daughter takes her shower. No other time and no other place, thankfully. It's a curious leak because it's clean water that seems to be coming from the drain pipes. Shouldn't be that way, natch. And why does it only leak when MLD showers - isn't a leak a leak? And since both the ceiling and the bathtub were both torn up by previous owners, didn't they fix it while they were in there?

And then it came to me: the shower head is holstered when MLD showers and hanging loose when I clean The Knuclkeheads. Since nobody else uses that shower it must have to do with that. After some research I discovered that at least half of the shower's payload was being deployed on the window and collected on the window sill. From there it seems that it runs through the non-existent caulking where it probably soaks the walls and runs down any pipe it can find. It's still a theory but I think it will provide the answers we seek. In return, I will then get to completely rebuild the shower from the wall out.

It will be a big job and will not happen for free, but we've got the money and I've got the tools and experience to make it happen. Not a crisis.

So far, so good.

Work? Well, things are usually interesting there and with enough new stuff coming down the pipe I can always count on something to keep me busy. So far, they haven't disappointed and while I'm currently struggling with some new thing that came my way recently, I'll get it figured out soon enough. Because I have to. Annoying, but not over the edge.

Family? Don't get me started, but it's mostly just a re-hashing of the usual stuff with small amounts of pepper tossed in for variety. Not a crisis, thankfully.

So that leaves... friends. I currently have some friends going through some really, really rough stuff. I won't share what or who, but it's life-changing. I'll be there and do whatever I can to help them through or to help them come to grips with it all, but aside from being a good Christian, person and friend there's really not much I can do. And if I feel powerless in all this, I can only imagine what they're feeling.

Focus where it's needed is the lesson, I suppose.

A psychiatrist visited a California mental institution and asked a patient, "How did you get here? What was the nature of your illness?" He got the following reply:

"Well, it all started when I got married and I guess I should never have done it. I married a widow with a grown daughter who then became my stepdaughter. My dad came to visit us, fell in love with my lovely stepdaughter, then married her. And so my stepdaughter was now my stepmother. Soon, my wife had a son who was, of course, my daddy's brother-in-law since he is the half-brother of my stepdaughter, who is now, of course, my daddy's wife. So, as I told you, when my stepdaughter married my daddy, she was at once my stepmother! Now, since my new son is brother to my stepmother, he also became my uncle. As you know, my wife is my step-grandmother since she is my stepmother's mother. Don't forget that my stepmother is my r stepdaughter. Remember, too, that I am my wife's grandson. But hold on just a few minutes more. You see, since I'm married to my step-grandmother, I am not only the wife's grandson and her hubby, but I am also my own grandfather. Now can you understand how I got put in this place?"

After staring blanky with a dizzy look on his face, the psychiatrist replied: "Move over!"

I may have mentioned how sick to death I am of hearing what our betters in gubermint have in store for us a time or two here before. (You can probably find some of those writings laying about if you do an extensive search.) But as I've also said, even those of us who live and breathe politics and thrive on knowing what is actually going on in the "Puppies Are Cute" bill eventually become saturated with the stuff; especially at the rate this dreck is currently being pumped down our throats.

So instead I'll mention the funniest things I've heard today. It seems that the naacp kicked off its convention yesterday in order to refine their positions on certain issues and make it plain exactly which liberal black candidate they would be endorsing in the coming election. One of the platform issues which was brought before the floor was a call for the complete ban of taser gun use by the police. Ahhh, McGruff, call your office! They're really taking a bit out of crime with THAT proposal, aren't they?!?

Of course that's such a stupid idea that eventually someone spoke up in opposition: a black, female police officer addressed the crowd and said in essence that banning taser and other non-lethal means of force would not only serve to increase crime rates, but would likely also increase the number of deaths of suspected criminals at the hands of the police, (makes perfect sense if you can rub those last two brain cells together). The crowd's response? Complete silence. Apparently, not only are facts "sticky things," they're also a complete buzzkill to those who want nothing more than to feel good about the stupid things they support.

Another idea presented came from the field of education. The group decided to number or prioritize their wish list for the public education. Their priority for educating our children? Umm, higher educational standards? Better standardized test results? Increased certification for deadbeat teachers who infuse the system? Merit pay? Increased exposure to alternative educational models? None of the above. Their first - FIRST - priority is "diversity." Now I'm not sure if they mean more 'diversity' in the teacher's lounge, the administration, on the school board or walking the halls, but clearly this is a completely idiotic approach to education. No matter how colorful the staff looks, it won't matter one whit if the students can't even spell 'brown.'

And it's exactly that sort of brain dead attitude/approach that lead to another of their grand proposals: NO public school should EVER be closed for ANY reason. That's right! No matter how crappy the teachers are, no matter what textbooks the school is using, no matter how many subfloors the student's grades crash through, just because the building was funded by (other peoples') tax dollars is reason enough to continue to pump millions of dollars into it, year after year. It's kind of like requiring someone going car shopping to buy the same model year after year, season after season even though they know it will completely blow up at any given time.

The other grand distractions I've allowed myself recently has been first; The Tudors - a completely intoxicating look into King Henry VIII's life as a young king. Fascinating story, great acting, sets and costumes that make you wonder if your horse is back from the stable and a feel for the time which I've never seen matched. It's simply incredible and appears to have a pretty tenacious grip on the actual events of Henry's court, country and life. I've watched the first 3 seasons and now eagerly await the release of the fourth on DVD. If it came tomorrow it wouldn't be too soon.

So now that I'm as caught up on The Tudors as I can be I'm checking out "Mad Men." It was suggested to me by a couple of people I (mostly) trust and with time to kill I thought, 'why not?' I've got the first season behind me and the second ready to go.

For those of you who may not know the story it's about advertising executives who work for a medium-sized company on Madison Avenue, (self-proclaimed 'Mad Men') based in 1960. Hats, booze, large metal cars, wives who worry endlessly about having the right look, car, husband, an ashtray in every room and a fully stocked liquor cabinet while the husbands earned the money, drank even more liquor and smoked endlessly while doing the secretary or the business contact.

I'm sure parts of it - if not blatantly untrue - are at least exaggerated but what a story. In a way it's like watching an alien documentary because not only does it take place years before I was born but is centered in a culture I'll never know nor care about: New York. Well done, well written, well acted and they end the first season with two gut-punches you never suspect are coming.

Brilliant!

I. Just. Can't. Believe. It. I know, I know; you're sick of hearing me say that and believe me, I'm even more sick of saying it. But I just don't know what else to say anymore. There are days when I feel as if I'm the only non-talking-head in America who's paying attention to what's coming at us from d.c. lately and I'm a little surprised by it. Don't people read any more? Don't they listen to the discusions about the pressing issues and pending legislation? How can Americans responsibly vote on issues or candidates if they can be so easily led to conclusions that are in direct opposition to the facts?

Of course there's a certain part of all this that makes perfect sense. After all, if congress takes the time to read through all the bills before they pass them, it gives bloggers and talk radio hosts time to read through them as well. And once word gets out about all the CRAP that gets stuffed into these bills, the public is informed as well as furious, (see yesterday's comic from above) and then motivated to action. At the voting booth.

I don't think they see that yet, but it seems that it will slap them hard across the face come November...

Oh - and I changed my withholding last week. IF you're one of those rare people who actually pay income taxes in this country you'd be wise to do the same.

The other morning I got out of bit rather briskly and as I turned the corner of my footboard the sudden drop in blood pressure triggered a dizzy spell, (I'm sure we've all had one). I said, "whoa!" and put my hand on the top of my dresser. The Wif rolled over and said, "What's wrong?" "Just got a dizzy spell from getting up too quickly." "Well," Captain Obvious said, "hang on to something." "I am," I replied, "the fading belief that I'm still attractive to women."

She laughed like crazy and then proclaimed, "you are SO strange!" Heck, I thought that's what she signed on for!

There were two men who played golf together frequently. One was several strokes better than the other. The lesser player was very proud, and never wanted to take any strokes to even up the game.

One Saturday morning, he shows up with a gorilla at the first tee. He says to his friend, "I've been trying to beat you for so long that I'm about ready to give up. But, I heard about this golfing gorilla, and I was wondering if it would be alright if he plays for me today. In fact if you're game, I'd like to try to get back all the money I've lost to you this year. I figure comes to about a thousand bucks. Are you willing?"

The other guy thought about it for a minute, and then decided to play the gorilla. "After all, how good could a gorilla be at golf?" he thought.

Well, the first hole was a straightaway par 4 of 450 yards. The guy hits a beautiful tee shot, 275 yards down the middle, leaving himself a 6 iron to the green. The gorilla takes a few powerful practice swings and then laces the ball 450 yards, right at the pin, stopping about 6 inches away from the hole.

The guy turns to his friend and says "That's incredible, I would have never believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. But, you know what, I've seen enough. I've got no interest in being totally humiliated by this gorilla golfing machine. You send this frigging gorilla back to where he comes from. I need a drink; better make it a double, and I'll write you a check."

After handing over the check, and well into his second double the guy asks, "By the way, how's that gorilla's putting?"

The other guy replies, "Same as his driving."

"That good, huh?"

"No, I mean, he hits putts the same way - 450 yards, right down the middle!

I'll take mercy on both of us since my head already feels as if it's going to explode at any minute and going into this in any depth will likely put the 'kaboom!' in my evening...

So the little o has finally stood up, manned up and taken a brave stand against a true threat to this great nation he's supposed to be leading: Arizona. That's right, Arizona has stood up and passed a law requiring that anyone stopped in the state be asked for identification. Which surprised me, frankly; I mean, if I knew I could get pulled over for a traffic offense and NOT have to produce identification in the great state of Arizona I might have moved there several years ago. Hell, as it is I have to show my ID just when I pass a cop going the other way in traffic, but I digress.

The Arizona law is basically just a re-wording of existing federal law. In fact, large portions of the Az law were lifted entirely from the federal law. That's the first confusing thing I see about all this: Arizona agrees with federal law to the extent that they simply take large parts of their wording directly from it, but the idiots need something to rage against during their 15 minutes of hate and this can be made to sound racist if enough talking heads repeat the charge often enough. OK - that's the template we're used to so it's really not new.

So the administration and their unpaid lackeys on the business end of a tv camera shout 'racist' until they've laid down some suppressing cover fire and then they go in for the kill; they send in the lawyers. They file a suit against the state and request an immediate cease and desist order on the new, "racist" law.

Big problem here, though. Not a single charge listed in the gubermint's filing cites any - ANY - complaints based on race. Nary a one! Huh. And here we've been told for month upon month that the new law would be found to be unconstitutional because it's racist! But then they can't find a single example of that supposed 'racism?' Curious, that.

And while I'm just a babe in the legal woods here, I DO see a problem with the Arizona law. That is, that they are taking it upon themselves to do a job the federal gubermint refuses to. Seems to me like that's an implicit endorsement of illegal immigration...

(And yes, I realize full well that Arizona does not have full legal power to deport people from the country and that that power resides solely with the feds. So when Arizona discovers these illegals they will be held and then turned over to the U.S. gubermint. And while I have no illusion that this incompetent administration will be bothered to pursue legal action against even a single illegal, I'm pretty sure it will be a difficult enough burden for the illegals and they will avoid Arizona in the future. So even a toothless guard dog can be of some value.)

Well, what with the Fourth just behind us it's probably time for a quick refresher course on just exactly what this great country is all about...

The federal gubermint is divided into three branches each with separate roles but equal power, (in theory anyway); the judicial branch (courts and judges), who decide which laws are in accordance with the Constitution, the executive branch, (President), who is charged with enforcing laws and the legislative branch (congress - which is itself divided into two houses), who write the laws and set the federal budget - pending executive approval.

It's a system that was uniquely designed for America. No kings, no absolute power. Every branch has it's roles and responsibilities and each branch has its own way to check the power of the others. It's actually beautifully simple and set in place a system that could pretty well foresee all of today's modern challenges and handle them with ease. With the ease of what had already been written down all those years ago.

So it's kind of curious to me that we should be this far into our history before the the Supreme Court would decide that the second amendment actually means something. As in, "the rights of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Oh sure there are arguments where the gun-nuts like me lean on the 'shall not be infringed' part while the gun-grabbers lean on the 'well-regulated militia' part. Legal challenges shall fly for as long as the money continues to flow. But even a rank amateur like myself can see that just by sheer order, the Founders made it a priority.

As in, "freedom of speech, press, religion and right to assembly." And we'll back it up with force if we have to. Just read through the Bill of Rights, (I know you won't), and you'll see that it's listed in an order of priority: religion/speech, arms, no quartering of soldiers, (an idea that seems utterly preposterous to us but was obviously at the front of their minds), search & seizure, double-jeopardy/self-incrimination, speedy trial, trial by jury, reasonable bail, and, oh yeah - rights of the people and rights of the states.

The Constitution was - in my view - a God-inspired document and blueprint for a great and grand new nation. The Constitution itself lays out in very clear language the duties and requirements of all three national branches and the Bill of Rights is a very obvious list of RESTRICTIONS AGAINST THAT GUBERMINT! "Congress shall not," "No law shall be enacted." These aren't a list of actions against the citizenry, but rather against the powers of government! Is that not painfully obvious to anyone with two brain cells and even a single synapse? It's painfully obvious that our Founders were writing a note to us today: don't mess with the people.

So I find it exceedingly humorous that the cesspool that foisted an unqualified, crooked, inexperienced political hack on the rest of us has become the latest test tube in our little Constitutional Follies; SCOTUS ruled that chicago's complete and total gun ban violated the second amendment! I was shocked but not surprised, if that makes any sense. Clearly the chicago ban - as well as the d.c. and new york bans - violate the same amendment. So let's get those cases files as soon as we possibly can, OK?

Oh, there will be those namby-pamby's out there who will whine and cry that this decision will 'turn chicago into the old west!' but they're really just ignorant and loud fools. Everywhere concealed weapons bills have been enacted, crime rates have decreased. The numbers are out there if you care to read them, (they won't), and just a smidgen of common sense can tell you why that is: if a criminal knows for certain that their potential victim is unarmed, what's going to stop the crime? BUT! If there's even a slight possibility that the victim might pull out a gun or yell for a neighbor who will, it's likely that the criminal will think twice.

As I say, the numbers are out there. But if you're still not persuaded just look at nations where the citizenry is openly armed. Very low crime rates there.

Of course, the other recent decision to come out of SCOTUS was the ruling that allowed a public school campus to ban a Christian group from using the facilities for meetings. Again, this is familiar territory to anyone who pays even the slightest attention to the court but this one comes with an interesting wrinkle; the school in question has a policy in place that requires a "universal acceptance" policy in membership and leadership for all organizations that meet on school property.

It's an interesting principle and I can't WAIT to see it challenged in court. Mainly because it will come under challenge from the very people touting it today; leftists. See, using this case as precedent Christians on campuses across the country can now join atheist/"progressive"/liberal/glbt groups and really throw a monkey wrench into their organizations. And we will.

And once they see it happening to them their cries and screams will rend the Heavens. Or whatever it is they believe in...

Yesterday, the greatest question was decided, which ever was debated in America, and a greater, perhaps, never was or will be decided among men. You will see in a few days a Declaration setting forth the causes which have impelled us to this mighty revolution, and the reasons which will justify it in the sight of God and man. ... 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 triumph in that Day's Transaction.
-Letter from John Adams to wife Abigail, July 3, 1776.

Sweet, screaming monkeys. Is this guy stupid or does he just think we are? (I know those of you who voted for and continue to support him certainly came up a few points shy on the I.Q. tests.) Let's see - high unemployment, record deficit AND debt, spending through the roof, an oil spill which is still small by historic standards but is big enough to put hundreds upon hundreds of people out of work/business and raise gasoline prices through the roof, a complete dismissal of border concerns, a promise to tax existing carbon energy and subsidize a phony energy which won't exist for decades, and taxes which will cripple our children's future. What to do, what to do?!?

Oh, I know! Let's give a speech! Geez, if this guy could find a way to power the nation on his ego we'd never, EVER need to search for another form of energy...

And the G20 summit was as interesting as these things normally are, plus just a little bit more. It had the usual stinky hippie protesters outside screaming about things they really don't have the first clue about which is always a good start. Here are people screaming about 'globalization' but if a world gubermint were announced tomorrow they'd fall down and pray to the god of patchouli. The bitch and scream about 'corporations,' (as if they knew what they were), but they got there somehow and even bicycles and birkenstocks are made by the evil 'corporations' and sold worldwide. So they're not just hypocrites, they're stinky hypocrites.

And for all their talk about "Love" and "Peace" they sure do a bunch of damage to innocent people and their property, don't they? Because when you get right down to it, the core of these peoples' beliefs is their own cores: what they feel to be true must be, because they believe it! They believe they can vote themselves rich by forcefully taking the hard-earned fruits of others' labors. The left is made up of a bunch of self-centered mooches who would rather vote a tax increase on your family than go out and make a living of it themselves. And these G8 and G20 protesters - as well as the taxman in chief - prove it beyond any doubt whatsoever.

Democracy fails when the people realize they can vote themselves rich...