Huh!

"We have to pass the bill(health care) so you can find out what's in it".
Nancy Pelosi

Socialist Or Communist

It wasn't yours truly who admitted that we're a socialist society. It came from the Left; Al Sharpton and Howard Dean. From the Right it was said by Charles Krauthammer.
Just a little something for you to chew on:
The government controls the banking industry;
The government controls the domestic auto industry;
We have government run health care system enforced by the Internal Revenue Service;
Business executives are told how much money they can make;
The government now determines who receives government loans for college. This was a part of the health care bill. The government also determines the cost of college text books and, down the road, has the power of textbook content.
Radio commentator, Chris Baker made a statement about Obama: "He's a ruler, not a leader". Think about it. How much more in your face can he be when he says, "bring it on" when addressing health care critics who don't want this unconstitutional mess?
I was going to put something in this blog about Obama's birth certificate but that'd make me a wacko nut job and a racist so I won't.

Christianity: "Go To Hell"

My, my, my: What a surprise befell me while looking at the Drudgereport last evening. The article in question was: "Davenport, Iowa changes "Good Friday" to "Spring Holiday". Since my family and I spent fifteen years of our lives in the river city my interest was more than piqued. In a nutshell, the city council, according to them, was blindsided by the Davenport Civil Rights Commission. The Commission ramrodded this thing through. Fortunately, the City Father's quickly came to their senses and reversed the decision. The Civil Rights group was looking for, you guessed it, a non-biased holiday....inclusion of all, if you will. The Davenport Police department was incensed but for the wrong reasons. Eliminating the words, "Good Friday" would violate their union contract and it would not be a paid holiday. Isn't this entire scenario nuts? Whether you are a practicing Christian or not, understand this: Jesus Christ LIVED and DIED on the cross 2,000 years ago. His presence, more than any other person, has influenced world civilization. Our nation was built on Christian principles. Sadly, there are many in public life who want to destroy every value Christianity has provided. Let me present you with proofs on a national level. In 2007 then presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama stated that the United States was no longer a Christian nation.In 2009 Barack Hussein Obama canceled our National Day of Prayer at the White House so as to not offend anyone. On September 25, 2009 A National Day of Prayer for Muslims took place on capitol hill with 50,000 Muslims in attendance. Pity had these 50,000 been Christians. The media would have verbally crucified every one of them for inciting hatred among the masses. We've more to fear in this country than what the Davenport Civil Rights Commission promoted. I don't like to proselytize but at this time of year would it really hurt for all of us to get down on our knees and thank Him for our blessings? That symbolic time frame, Noon to 3 pm was not a "holiday" for Jesus Christ, regardless of your beliefs.

Tanning Beds & Abortion.

There's a recommendation from the Food and Drug Ådministration that tanning bed businesses should be required to have parental consent for teenagers to use their facilities. 35% of their business comes from 17 year olds. Along this same line, consent, I read a story out of Seattle, Washington about a high school that has a health care office in the school. There is no requirement for parental notification for abortions in Washington. Anyway, staff members from the high school put a "child" into one of their vehicles and transported the "kid" to a Planned Parenthood slaughterhouse. Only after the abortion took place were the parents notified. They had signed a consent form that allowed the school to take medical action without notification from mom and dad at the beginning of the school year. For some stupid reason these moronic parents didn't think medical action and abortion could go hand in hand . Talk about irresponsible parenting. I mean, wouldn't an abortion be the first thing to pop into your mind if you received a call from the school nurse-----or didn't. Economically it was a good thing for the "child". PP told her they'd only charge her $300 if she didn't make a big stink. If she wanted her parent's notified they'd have to up the payment to $800. I'm sure it gets better from here on in but the lawsuits are pending.

And Another Thing

One more thing about these politicians, primarily DumbocRats, crawling out of a hole to tell us about the menacing threats they are receiving: It was during the election of 2004 when homophobia was the word of the campaign: Politicians were slithering all over each other proudly proclaiming they had a lesbian daughter or a gay son. I thought Dick Gephardt was going to name himself Man of the Year when he made his announcement. Well, Dickie boy didn't get the nomination so where is he now? Where's his daughter?, After this election cycle we can say the same about most all these nik niks!

My Back

Who starts these things? I first heard the phrase in the movie, Blind Side, when Sandra Bullock said, "I've got his back". So now, whether it's on television, in the written word or at the movies: I've got his back, he's got my back, we've got their backs, or they've got our backs. It's one of those things that needs to wear out in a hurry and do you know why? It reminds me of the first Gulf War when we all had to "hunker down", 24/7, yada, yada, yada.

Do Not Forget

Just in case your memory needs to be recharged let us not forget that 7% of Obama appointees have private business experience. For you Democrats this means that 93% were/are community activists. But the communists in the crowd knew that all along. Along this same vein there is now no pretense as to the goal of the Socialist Party, aka Democrats, in the country. Yesterday, the NY Times wrote that we are now a socialist nation. Max Baucus(D-Montana) stated that our goal in this country should be the redistribution of wealth. It's not as if I didn't warn you two years ago.

Government Education

Alright everyone and quickly; Raise your hand if you knew that loans for college students, $100 trillion dollars, is now controlled by the government? As of this week and part of the health care bill there is no more choice for public school students in applying for college loans. If you're happy about this just think how much happier you'll be when you're trying to secure an education loan on the phone-------on hold!!!

$10,000

Andrew Breitbart, founder of Big Hollywood and and Big Journalism has an offer on the table for Congressman John Lewis who claims he was the victim of the N word fifteen times. Breitbart will donate $10,000 for proof of this dastardly deed to some, I can't remember which, organization. I'm sure it isn't ACORN because they're out of business, right? So far, no one has come forward with audio or visual recordings. Could this possibly be race baiting on the part of the good congressman? Dittos for Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri. He was spat upon, or so he said. Both instances must be true. Juan Williams, liberal, from Fox News told us so when he said, "do you actually think a congressman would lie about something like this"? Nah!

Easter Eggs

Strange? The White House has announced that 3,000 tickets for the annual Easter Egg Hunt have been distributed to public and charter school folks. Not invited are kids from parochial and private schools. Why is it that Obama bows before the King of Saudi Arabia and has a photo op with Hugo Chavez but figuratively spits in the face of our greatest ally, Benjamin Netanyahu? Hmmm. Isn't Israel the only democratic government in the Middle East? I was reminded by The American Thinker magazine that Obama returned a bust of Winston Churchill to Gt. Britain. It had been in the Oval Office and was a gift from our greatest WWII ally. Have you noticed how the Dems are screaming about the vitriol coming from the Right and how dangerous it is in this country? I don't seem to recall outbursts when, during the Bush administration, people on the Left were calling for Bush's death. Tea Partiers are being exposed as rabblerousers. These are the people who clean up after themselves and leave not a scintilla of garbage after 500,000 protested in D.C.last September. This is the party of grandmama. Leftist protesters still haven't learned how to turn on a water spigot and bathe.

A Shiny Red Car

I'm trying to figure out a couple of things regarding our prez and his newly won victory. Mr. Big flew off to Iowa City, Iowa yesterday to tout the health care bill. Why? It's a done deal or so I thought. Over sixty per cent of the American people do not want this bill and, as we know, there is great talk of getting rid of the damned thing beginning next November. The 51st speech he has given on health care in the last two months was anything but a "bring us together" one. He threw down the gauntlet and set up another civil war between Dems and Repubs when he said; "bring it on" in reference to a health care fight. This is typical Chicago politics and arrogance beyond belief. Ronald Reagan he will never be.
I heard of other examples of how silly this HC law has made our lives. Some congressional districts will receive playground equipment and 450 congressional districts that aren't will get money. If you have the opportunity to sit down and look up any number of nonsense provisions you should do so. It's obvious that not one congressman has read this 2800 page power grab. As my brilliant first son told me, the health care bill is like buying a new car. The buyer goes to the dealer. The dealer asks what kind of car he wants and he says, "a red one". Well, with this health crap bill we just bought a red one.

I'm Back; Sort Of

To my many, many readers I'm back for today. My fingers are on fire to fill you in on a variety of potpourri items. Unfortunately, I'm using the wife's computer to get rid of unread e-mails. She's afraid I'll get chocolate on her keyboard so I have limited time available.
My weenie Netbook computer decided it wanted to die on me so I had to send it to California for a fixer upper job. I expect it'll be workable in a week.
Health care is the subject of the day, week, year, decade, century. The hilarity of it all is since the party of the dumb hasn't read the bill all kinds of items missing are now on display, i.e. children who were supposed to be immediately enrolled without a pre-existing condition, well, someone forgot to put it in. John Deere's Iowa operation said that it's yearly taxes will increase $100 million. Poor ol' Çaterpillar's will go to $150 million. Hello taxes, good-bye jobs. Tanning bed companies will be taxed an extra 10% come June. And the best one is; Viagra, under the health care plan, will be available to sex offenders and rapists. It'll be made available to me but at my age I'd rather have a nice cigar.

Who Is Dennis Kucinich

Who would have thought Dennis 'UFO" Kucinich would be a power player on the American political scene. Kucinich, who ran the City of Cleveland into financial ruin during his two year term as Mayor in the late 70's is being feted as a hero today by members of the Stupid Party. Kucinic has changed his No vote on health care to a Yes.
Readers, think of the ten dorkiest in your senior class, then pare it down to five. Kucinich would be in that group except the other four couldn't stand to be around him so they'd kick him out. Oh, why is he called 'UFO'? He saw one, that's why.
Shown in the accompanying photo is the first Mrs. Kucinich and
Dennis. It was a honeymoon picture. Give him some credit. His 3rd bride, thirty years younger and twelve inches taller is more than hot. She's smokin'! My best guess is she wants free health care for life.

I Don't Understand Americans

There's something about the American people, post 2008 election, that gives me great pause. How do we stand back and see those appointed to positions in Obama's cabinet or being named a Czar without asking, "What the hell is going on"? Have we become that blase' about our country and the direction we are headed that we aren't deathly afraid of losing everything the Founding Father's created. Our government has avowed communists and socialists actively working to destroy our Constitution. Can you imagine our now deceased World War II now deceased parents and grandparents tolerating this situation. Good Lord, this is ridiculous.

Bill Maher Takes On God

Life.After.Death. What happens after death can give us all great consternation. Even Mother Theresa had doubts about it during periods of her life. 'Faith' is the key word when dealing with the subject. Bill Maher, faux-celebrity, isn't givng L.A.D. much of a chance. He's taking on God, or, in his infinite wisdom, a lack thereof. I find this a very good article. It's what helps differentiate the Far Right from the Far Left. Stewart Schwartz at The American Thinker has given us a transparent view between the Right and Left aka, good and evil. He also presents a nice picture of a real jerk, aka, Bill Maher.

"ObamaCare is all God's fault. Why? Because so many people believe in this "schmuck" who lives in the clouds...and this belief, in turn, intensifies opposition to ObamaCare.
This leftist social critic, anti-Christian crusader, and HBO comedy show host warned God at the end of last week to back off, to allow smart people like himself and Barack Obama and the New York Times editorial board to push the God-fearing "ignoramuses" aside this week and take control of the nation's health care.
He told this to "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" guest host Lawrence O'Donnell on MS-NBC. Although mainstream media didn't provide us with God's reaction (God is a hopeless conservative, persona non grata for legacy networks and newspapers), Maher most certainly cheered the three viewers in the audience of the NBC news cable operation, who had taken time off from pecking out obscenities on the Daily Kos website to get a dose of leftist smarts.
Welcome to the world of Bill Maher. He urges the "vicious, horrible character" known as God, who is less real than the "lint that lives in my navel," to stand aside while Obama and Pelosi and Reid "scare the American people" into ObamaCare. Maher added his voice to the progressive chorus urging the president to "go gangsta" on the majority of Americans, who, as our president put it, still cling to God and guns".

Why People Die

People don't die from a lack of health insurance. They die because they're sick. New polling states that 46% of primary care doctors may quit if Obama health care becomes the law.

If You Really Hate Your Kids

Maybe because it's Spring Break or it might be that Mexico is a crap country but it sure is getting a lot of space these days in the papers and visual segments on the news. It's murder, murder, murder from the width and breadth of the country. Did you know that last year the City of Laredo, Mexico had 2,000 murders? Laredo has a population of 350,000. If you want to make comparisons of a city in the US based on population google one of your favorites. I already know that New York City has a population of 8 million. Last year 500 human beings lost their lives without their permission. Americans are being attacked in Mexico on a daily basis. I suggest parents wise up and keep their kids at home this Spring unless-----.

Watchin' And Listenin'

Did you know that President James Garfield could write, ambidextrously, Greek and Latin at the same time? Did you know that millions of Americans have never heard of James Garfield? Well, I've heard of him but what you may not know is I can watch television and listen to the radio simultaneously. Today, I am doing just that; radio and television. There must be something in the top of the hour radio newscasts called, "filler" news. It'd be an item strategically placed in a story to lengthen it. I might have heard one today. A convict is being transferred to Lucasville prison tonight. This is the "Big House" in Ohio where executions take place and criminals(can't remember his name) are sent there a day ahead to get ready to meet their Maker. I don't recall the nature of his crime or when it occurred. The event might have happened twenty years ago; appeals usually take that long before drugs perform their magic. I don't remember the names of the victims, either. What I do know is that, for his last meal, he requested steak and shrimp. Doesn't it seem like every media announcement about an execution includes a mandatory listing of the menu? Steak seems to be a very popular menu item. Now, if I was forced to take the chemical called "adios" I might have to take this freebie to the ultimate. I'd select every high cost item from California's Rodeo Drive and then some. Not too many of these dudes have eaten cavier. "Go for it", I'd say. Do they restrict champagne? Dom Perignon 1964 would be a starter. After this, a fine dinner wine topped off with a very fancy foo-foo drink. Obama's favorite beef is Wagyu at $100 a pound. Why mess around with chicken fried steak when they could have the very best of the best. Better yet, but this time going in the opposite direction, wouldn't it be a laughaholic story if the convict ordered, for his very last meal, Jenny Craig?
I'm watching Obama give his zillionith speech on health care. Today he's in Strongsville, Ohio. (Excuse me. I need to 'mute' the TV). Every time the Big Guy speaks there are scads of people standing behind him. I wouldn't want to be one of those 'plants'. I see a youngish looking kid, maybe 18. I think he's playing with a Game Boy. He keeps looking right, then left. He appears to be saying, "how do I get out of here"? Someone else is mouthing, "Can you take me back to the casino? Sometimes, at Sunday Mass when it's overly crowded, I get up and give my seat to a woman. I stand, she sits. Mass, on average, lasts fifty minutes. If the homily goes longer than twenty minutes I can go to the bathroom and not even the priest would notice.These "Standers" are stuck for the duration. What are they given for being there: a Subway, MacDonalds, nuthin'? Bummer!****
The weather is in the news----big time---again. Do you know why? Because it's all about global warming and the current El Nino. Follow me on this. We're getting many stories at this time about massive rain storms and flooding. In a month, April and early May, specifically, we'll hear a bunch about tornadoes. Two months after, in July, the news will be about the massive heat waves. The key word used will be 'drought'. A couple of months later the talk will be about early frosts and possible crop damage. And finally, in winter of all months, we're going to get hit with monstrous snowstorms. Then, this cycle will repeat itself again and again for decades to come. To illustrate, we need only quote Herb Morrisson as he watched the Hindenburg of 1937 burn when he said, "Oh, the humanity".
TV and radio: what would I do without!
****The numbers are in; 200 people attended the health care speech. The rest of the population were out looking for jobs.

IRS Cracks Down--------Over 4 Cents

Bob Shallit reports for the Sacramento Bee:
It was every business person's nightmare.
Arriving at Harv's Metro Car Wash in midtown Wednesday afternoon were two dark-suited IRS agents demanding payment of delinquent taxes. "They were deadly serious, very aggressive, very condescending," says Harv's owner, Aaron Zeff.
The really odd part of this: The letter that was hand-delivered to Zeff's on-site manager showed the amount of money owed to the feds was ... 4 cents.
Inexplicably, penalties and taxes accruing on the debt – stemming from the 2006 tax year – were listed as $202.31, leaving Harv's with an obligation of $202.35.

Musings On Being Bedridden

After today I will never mention my hip replacement again(hopefully). It's the beginning of Day 6, Post-Op and, as we used to say in the early 70's, "the first day of the rest of my life"! All in all, the entire healing process hasn't been too bad. I can cook my own breakfast, make that wonderful, aromatic cup of French Roast in the morning and even walk without help from the Boss. Speaking of " The Boss", she wins an award for cheerfully doing the nasty stuff without complaint but I don't want to go down this road. I have only one regret about the surgery and its aftermath: I thought it'd be a lot more fun.

Karl Rove: Waterboarding Worked

I snagged this from Don Surber at the Charleston WV Daily Mail: He's good.
"In the months following 9/11, the Bush administration had to get intelligence information and get it fast. The capture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed — the man who plotted out the 9/11 attack — was a gold mine.
The first thing he did was assert “his” 5th Amendment right and demand a lawyer.
He got waterboarded instead.
He sang like a bird.
Two others were waterboarded.
America and the world was safer.
So safe that the waterboarding was politicized.
The American people are not that stupid.
58% called for the waterboarding of the Christmas Day bomber, Rasmussen reported.
Now as Karl Rove peddles his book, the BBC reported: “In a BBC interview, Karl Rove, who was known as ‘Bush’s brain,’ said he ‘was proud we used techniques that broke the will of these terrorists.’ He said waterboarding, which simulates drowning, should not be considered torture.”
Eat it, critics.

Ugly Clothes

You won't find a lot of dress clothes in my closet. I own a blue blazer and a blue pinstripe suit. I have three pair of dress shoes. If you look closely you'll see three dress shirts, two with button down collars. Somewhere in there are four or five ties. Jump back in a time machine twenty-five years and my closet looked like a storage den for Hart Schaffner & Marx. I had my fair share of Florsheim Imperial shoes. I owned more dress ties than there are M&M's in a 2 pound bag. As a high school teacher I dressed to the nines. When I started working in steel mills I didn't wear very many three piece suits; didn't see the need to.
In the past few months I've noticed that TV news people, men especially, wear purple ties and purple shirts. Why is that? It's also the recognizable color for The Service Employees International Union(SEIU).
I understand that wearing purple is a personal preference but it's a darned ugly preference. To illustrate, I know a teacher who used to wear a yellow leisure suit. The students called him, "Canary". But, he never wore a purple leisure suit. You know why? Horton the Elephant sat on a purple nest and wore purple clothes. That's why.
When I was twelve, during the Elvis era, I wore blue suede shoes and iridescent blue pants with black vertical stripes. It was an ugly combination but it wasn't purple ugly.

God has way of absolutely destroying my cockiness, doesn't He? It's pushing 70 degrees outside, the wife is gone and I know I can grab the walker for a trip to the curb and back. Besides, all the snow has melted as of yesterday. There isn't much danger of tripping over a feather and hurting myself. I took just two steps out the door and looked to my left. Beautiful, purple, pansies are now in bloom.

Toreadors II

Remember the other day when I wrote about school mascots? I said, "I bet my high school was the only one in the USA with the nickname of 'Toreadors'. Well, I stand corrected. There is a high school in Los Angeles, Taft, with the same team mascot. What a bunch of dorks they must be!

Obama's War On Fishing

The following report is all over the news cycle today and I garnered mine from Michelle Malkin. Obama is nuts! Is he sitting in the Oval Office saying "Civil War: Bring it on".

The Obama administration will accept no more public input for a federal strategy that could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing the nation’s oceans, coastal areas, Great Lakes, and even inland waters.
This announcement comes at the time when the situation supposedly still is “fluid” and the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force still hasn’t issued its final report on zoning uses of these waters.
That’s a disappointment, but not really a surprise for fishing industry insiders who have negotiated for months with officials at the Council on Environmental Quality and bureaucrats on the task force. These angling advocates have come to suspect that public input into the process was a charade from the beginning.
“When the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) completed their successful campaign to convince the Ontario government to end one of the best scientifically managed big game hunts in North America (spring bear), the results of their agenda had severe economic impacts on small family businesses and the tourism economy of communities across northern and central Ontario,” said Phil Morlock, director of environmental affairs for Shimano.
“Now we see NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the administration planning the future of recreational fishing access in America based on a similar agenda of these same groups and other Big Green anti-use organizations, through an Executive Order by the President. The current U.S. direction with fishing is a direct parallel to what happened in Canada with hunting: The negative economic impacts on hard working American families and small businesses are being ignored.
Sacrificing jobs for the green agenda. Conducting Kabuki theater on public input. Business as usual for the Obama White House.

Team Mascots

If you follow my posts you'll know I write a good deal about my home state of Iowa. I hate to admit this but I started thinking about team mascots in church today. God forgive me, I did everything possible to 'Christian up" and it worked until I got home to complete the thought.
My old high school has as it's mascot a toreador. I'd bet our school is the only one in the USA with a sequined sissy to instill terror into an opponent. And the wierd thing is when we were in high school we didn't give it much thought. To this day I cannot tell you the name of the person who wore the costume. Except, 'it' might have been a girl. Many years ago our school received, as a gift, a toreador uniform. It came from a Hollywood director who graduated from BHS, or so the story goes. Voila! A mascot is born. Our school colors were red and green. They came from the uniform which also had as its colors black, silver and pink. Every time we scored a touchdown or won a game the Toreador twirled the cape.
I know a lot about team names and logos. Did you know that there are two high schools in Illinois with the nickname of "Pretzels"? There's another called the Appleknockers.
Since we now live in Ohio I always question my friends about being a "Buckeye". They are tough nuts to crack is about the only explanation I get.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have a mascot named Herky the Hawkeye. It's an okay one. Twenty some years ago their then football coach, Hayden Fry, came up with a logo for the team. It was called the Tigerhawk. If you cock it to the right a quarter turn you will see a nice picture of Barney Rubble.

Gettin' Prepped For Gettin' Cut

Today's the day before the big day. It's 8:15 am, twenty-four hours exactly, before my hip replacement. The house is loaded with various pre-surgery items. I like my hospital bed. It has an electric apparatus so the head of the mattress goes up and down. Ditto for the feet. My surgeon says I have to sleep on my back for six weeks. Is he nuts or what! I have never, ever, in sixty-four years, slept on my back at night. It's like being in the military, 'left-right-left-right', and the switch comes at the fifteen minute mark--all night long. My poor mother must have been in misery when I was in the womb.
Our neighbor, Doc B., had his hip done six weeks ago by the same guy doing mine and he said it's a piece o' cake. You know why? He played football for Woody Hayes at Ohio State. I played touch ball in the back yard; big difference. He's tough, I'm a sissy.
I have other props. There's an extension to put on the commode so I don't have to sit too low. There are handles on the side so I don't fall off onto the floor. I think this might be beneficial. We'll find out on a daily basis, I hope.
I have a trapeze gizmo above the bed. This could provide a duel benefit. It'll help me move around easily and maybe I can finally get a bicep by doing curls lying down. I've got other things, too. A long pole with a shoe horn on it. I also have this really cool pole with a hook on the end that looks like a claw. It opens and closes. I think I can make up games with both. I could throw marbles on the floor and see how many I can pick up in so many seconds. It'd be like Bud Collier and the 1950's TV game show, "Beat The Clock".
I have noticed one thing. I haven't received one phone call from friend or family promising to say a rosary for me or, offering to send me money, desserts, golf clubs, or sympathy. You don't imagine, and I am going out on a limb on this, that my hip replacement isn't such a big deal after all? Until someone tells me different I'm going to milk it for what it's worth. I've been practicing for a couple of weeks on different sympathy techniques. How does "Honey, would you get me another piece of pie" sound?

World's Greatest Disguise

Do you find these photos as amazing as I? They are pictures of Khalid Sheik Mohammed. Faked me out--always has, always will. Unless you've been on the Mars Rover, he masterminded the 9/11 attacks. I didn't know they had Jenny Craig in Afghanistan. I didn't know they had razors, either.

Thieves

One hundred thousand federal, civilian workers pay zero taxes each year. Their reasoning? Evidently, they don't feel like doing it. This computes to one billion dollars! The info comes from Democrat turned Republican Utah congressman, Jason Chaffetz. This will make you want to vomit from the bottom of your toenails. The federal government hired 7,000 more workers in the month of February.

Pre-Op Hysteria

If you don't know already, I'm a big baby. My hip, the right one, has been giving me all kinds of trouble since Feb. 1, 2009. I'm like most former athletes. I kept saying, "the pain will go away". It hasn't. Still, I continued to expect a miracle. "Maybe, I tell myself, someone will have heard of my plight and drop off some water from Lourdes. The well must have dried up.
Next Monday I will have a total hip replacement. It's being done by the group who invented the process. My doctor asked if I minded if some doctors from Europe came to watch him do his thing. This is good! Now, if he had asked me if it was okay if he did the surgery in an alley behind the bakery-----you get the picture. I read online that over 250,000 hip replacements were performed last year. That's a lot. Most of them were done on guys and gals from the immediate "check-out generation. This makes no difference to me. I only hope I don't cry. The thought of getting cut open makes me cringe. The last time someone put a scapel to my skin was in 1966. The doc took some cartilage away from my knee. Today, that operation takes thirty minutes and they send you home. In '66 I was flat on my back for three weeks; couldn't leave the hospital until I could lift my leg off the bed. Things change. In those days we were allowed to smoke cigs in our room----and I did. " At the time, I recall my surgeon, Dr. Huey, telling me; "Young man, when you turn 60 or so this knee and your hip are going to give you some trouble". I also remember me thinking, "Doc, you're so stupid. Nobody turns 60".
Two of my buddies have had my doctor do their hips and both are having fun. They're playing golf and jumping off cliffs--from trampolines. My plan is to think the very,very worst things possible before I go into the operating room. Then, after it's all over it might not be so bad. I'll convince myself that after Dr. Berend makes the incision he'll say, "As long as we're here, we might as well amputate both arms and legs. Then we'll do a sexual reorientation".
This would be followed by, "Hey, nurses, just for the fun of it let's cut off his ear lobes". Could it possibly get any worse than this? Nah! There are two reasons for my mindset: I don't like to cry and I'm a big baby.
P.S. Thanks to Doudsie, Curt and Craig for tolerating my nonsense

Mr. Albert Gore and the U of T

It's not earth shattering and won't change world history. Albert Gore, as announced by the University of Tennessee, is going to receive an honorary degree. His will be the third in the long history of that school.
The other recipients are Senator Howard Baker and Ms. Dolly Parton; very heady company, indeed. My question is, why has Davey Crockett, a citizen of the Volunteer State, not received some kind of degree? After all, he is and always will be the "King of the Wild Frontier". Besides, "he killed him a bar' when he was only three".

You young whippersnappers, anyone under the age of fifty-five, will not recognize the pictured Davy Crockett. This is Fess Parker and he played Crockett on the Disney TV Show in the 50's. I placed him on my post because I thought he was better looking than the real DC. My buddy, Jude, is a blog reader and we used to watch the show together along with another friend, "Collie". The photo will bring back memories.

Al Gore brings back memories, too. All bad.

This Explains It All

On Being Naked

Interesting photos, huh! The pics were taken in Rahway, New Jersey. It seems an irate citizen called the police and had them call on the 'sculptors' to have it(the bod on the right) removed. I've been to Rome, Florence, Venice and seen art created by the greatest in history. The snow goddess was constructed by a lady court reporter, her daughter and son. It is the Venus di Milo of Rahway. Last year they constructed a snow figure of Obama but no one complained. The local police department decided to end the case if some clothing was added. Personally, the photo with clothing is pretty ginchy. What a country!

Pictures and story courtesy of the Newark Star-Ledger

Nooses

It's another example of how I'm out of the mainstream and the people are suffering from political correctness. Have you heard about the student at the University of San Diego who put up a hangmen's noose in the school library? I think he was a black student but that doesn't make any difference. Well, actually it does. Had he been white, all kinds of bells would have gone off, civil rights groups contacted and the U of SD would have commissioned feel good groups to have meetings. Anyway, the guy, anonymously, apologized.
Somewhere around 1978 I came across a hangmen's noose. The length of the rope was a foot or so beyond the knots. It was my twelfth year as a high school social studies instructor. There were always pictures on my classroom walls. When my students got tired of listening to me they could look around the room and see something of interest. In my mind that was better than looking out the window. The noose was placed in front of the classroom---next to the American flag. Whoa! That noose was in that same place for the next ten years and no one, not once, complained. Minority students didn't hire lawyers; not the Blacks, Orientals or American Indians.
During my twenty years as a high school instructor there were hundreds of 'controversial' items put on the walls to get me in a jam in today's climate. When discussing the WWII period I hung German flags with swastikas and I put up flags of Imperial Japan. Today, the 'Rising Sun' flag would be accepted with sympathy because the dastardly, imperialistic USA dropped the A-bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Displaying the Nazi flag would get me fired.
I've given serious thought to volunteering in the classroom, again. At my age and with my experience I figure I've got a lot to offer. After a few minutes an invisible hand slaps my face and brings me back to reality. In our pc world of today I'd be asked by our principal to leave the building before my butt hit my desk chair.

About Those Christians Who Voted For Obama

Thanks to Vital Signs Blog by Denny Hartford:
Do you think that the Christians who voted for Barack Obama are realizing yet what absolute dolts they were?If so, what do you think turned the light on for them?Perhaps it was Obama's persistence in nominating Cabinet members and judges who are zealots for such things as abortion, homosexual marriage, perverse sex education for toddlers, protection for terrorists, the deconstruction of America's religious heritage and military strength?Maybe it was Obama's "apology tours" in which he insisted that America was not now and never had been a Christian nation.It could have been Obama's ongoing, over-the-top and obnoxious praise for Islam.Maybe it was just Obama's lousy governing style, his deliberate distortions of the truth, his arrogance, his socialism, his petulance, his 180 degree reversal on such things as transparency, ethics and non-partisanship.And just perhaps the final straw for Christians who yet believed Barack Obama was a genuine believer who desired to open up American culture to the influences of spirituality was this recent closed-door confab that Team Obama granted to the Secular Coalition for America, a group led by agnostics and atheists who demand an end to religious influences in public life. It was a meeting mysteriously closed to the public and press -- but which we are assured by the leader of the group to have gone “very, very well” for them.

GM Recall

Over one million Government Motors(GM) cars recalled for faulty steering and I haven't heard a whole lot of complaining. It's only when a non-union company, Toyota for instance, is in Dem the gun sights do we have government hearings. I hate these guys!

The Real Olympics

I watched two events in this most recent Olympic games and both of them were the hockey games between the United States and Canada. These were the goodie-goodie Olympics. To me, they were reminiscent of a Saturday morning youth soccer game when the winners and losers both receive trophies. The gold medal hockey match was tough and hard fought and when it was completed: gladhanding and pats on the back, some sadness, a great amount of joy for the winners and respect for the losers. Cripes! Fighting wasn't allowed. How can there be a hockey game sans blood? These same guys will go after each other again beginning tomorrow when the National Hockey League resumes play. The king is dead. Long live the king.
As for the rest of the Olympic Games and from what I read on the net: Give me the good ol' days, please. What would make me pumped up, just for the games, would be to have the old Union of Soviet Socialist Republics back in action. Fifteen nations coming together as one. Accomplishments done through intimidation. Each conquest made with CCCP emblazoned across their bright red jerseys; the real Bad News Bears". Every one of the feared Soviets was a professional playing against the U.S amateurs. The hated "Bear" dominating in every sport except that, every once in awhile, we stole one away. Remember "Do you believe in miracles? In virtually every sport the Russian women were required to take physicals to determine if they were that--female! In many cases they weren't. Just because they shaved twice a day and had biceps larger than Schwarzenneger what proof was that?
This Olympic game scenario was all about sportsmanship.
Russian medals in these games were nowhere to be found. I didn't check nations medal winners all that closely but didn't Fiji finish ahead of the Ruskies? Were they in the top 10? It was so embarrassing the President of Russia announced today that sports programs had better straighten up or every coach would be canned. The biggest problem with the games-there was no team hatred. Geesh, talk about a disappointment; nothing but goodwill, sportsmanship and handshakes. I miss the old days when we had someone to hate.

Cigs And Brew Equals Obama

I think it's all over the news cycle. Obama has been encouraged by his doctors to cut back on his cigarette consumption along with his intake of beer. This was a surprise for me; never thought much about his drinking. I mean, who thinks about their leader having too much of a good time with the Clydesdales. Oh wait! The boys at the Washington Post made their careers exposing the drunken stupors of Mr. Nixon at the height of Watergate. Churchhill was more than an imbiber and Harry Truman was known to throw back a couple in the evening.
But Barry Obama? Strange how I never heard anything about George W. Bush being asked to give his drinking a rest. Bush was constantly being made fun of because he was a "lush" but his drinking took place twenty-five years before he took office. It'd be interesting to know what Obama was asked to cut back on-- three beers? I don't think so. That's nothing, even for your average Joe. In my prime I could down three brew while going to the bathroom. Maybe six beers a day is the number, or how about twelve? And we haven't even brought up Obama's cocaine use.