June 22, 2006
A lynching in progress...
Steve Yuhas has an excellent article on the Hamdaniya 8.
The real shame is that these men have already been tarnished forever, no matter what the outcome of the Article 32 procedings. That the Marine Corps has allowed the procedings to become a political football for partisian forces is a greater stain on the honor of the Corps than the incident itself, should it prove to be borne out as being actually true.
to Mamamontezz for the heads up.
Posted by: Delftsman3 at 06:43 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Be afraid, be very afraid
To all that use SBC services...BEWARE.
"Your data belong to them". I believe that data mining and some limited focusing on specific targets are legitimate national security activities; but this new policy far exceeds those parameters.Posted by: Delftsman3 at 06:27 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Some sad news...
It is with the saddest heart that I must pass on the following news. Please join me in remembering a great icon of the entertainment community.
The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection and trauma complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71. Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies and Captain Crunch. The grave site was piled high with flours. Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy "as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded". Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times, h e was still a crusty old man and was considered a roll model for millions. Doughboy is survived by his wife, Play Dough, two children, John Dough and Jane Dough, plus they had one in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly dad, Pop Tart. The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes. to Catfish
Posted by: Delftsman3 at 06:18 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Subject: a blonde's horseback riding adventure...
A blonde decides to try horseback riding, even though she has had no
lessons or prior experience. She mounts the horse, unassisted,
and the horse immediately springs into motion. It gallops along at a steady
and rhythmic pace, but the blonde begins to slip from the saddle.
grip. She tries to throw her arms around the horse's neck, but
she slides down the side of the horse anyway. The horse gallops along,
seemingly impervious to its slipping rider. Finally, giving up her frail grip, the blonde attempts to leap away from the
horse and throw herself to safety. Unfortunately, her foot
has become entangled in the stirrup, and she is now at the mercy of the
horse's pounding hooves as her head is struck against the ground over
and over. As her head is battered against the ground, she is mere moments away from
unconsciousness when to her great fortune . . .
Frank, the Wal-Mart greeter, sees her and unplugs the horse.
to Bob
Posted by: Delftsman3 at 06:14 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Ann C., A REAL Stalwart of the Right
Ann Coulter throws down the gauntlet yet again in her latest post.
My favorite line is :"Finally, a word to those of you out there who have yet to be offended by something I have written or said: Please be patient. I am working as fast as I can. "You GO, Ann!
Posted by: Delftsman3 at 05:05 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Murtha
Has Rep. Murtha overplayed his hand? Robert Novak seems to think so.
I personally hope that Murtha continues speaking out loudly and often. While it won't be long before the Democrats start to try to distance themselves from his senile rantings, the ugly truth is that he does represent the views of a large segment of the Left's base, and the more those views are exposed, the better. For the GOP. On a similar note, Victor David Hanson outlines his reasoning why the Fall elections won't be as good for the Democrats as they are trying to project they will be. I HOPE that Mr. Hanson's reasoning hold true, but he is forgetting one wild card, and that is that he comes from a logical reasoning frame of view, and unfortunately, many of the electorate these days have eschewed that type of reasoning to one based on "feelings" and whatever the current meme of the left is in favor at the moment. Mr. Hanson view is dependent on an informed, reasoning, electorate; and it seems in recent times that there is a serious lack in those areas in a large segment of the electorate....Posted by: Delftsman3 at 04:23 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
June 21, 2006
Fair Tax
Neil Boortz has a chance to give an overview of the Fair Tax proposal (HR25). I have been studying this proposal for almost a year now, and I have to say that I believe that this could be the most important legislation to come down the pike in a hundred years.
If you want to get a more in depth analysis, go HERE. I sincerely believe that this proposal will do more towards giving the power back to the people and away from the political elites than any other single step. Update: Grin & Bear It uses the Fair Tax in a cartoon:
Posted by: Delftsman3 at 04:50 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Gas, and the gasbags that make it cost more
Want to know the real reason that gasoline is topping out at over $3 a gallon?
Can you say overregulation boys and girls? I was glad that Mr. Du Pont pointed out the Green's fallacy of ethonol as a substitute. It really isn't a cost efficient fuel in the long term. When the cost of production is only one barrel (of fuel) less than the end product produced, it certainly isn't the panacea that the tree hugers would have us think it is.Posted by: Delftsman3 at 04:19 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Saint? it's all relative....
This is out of date, but if the pundits are correct, it may come back as current in mid 08..
On a Saturday afternoon, in Washington, D. C., Senator John Kerry's campaignmanager visited the Cardinal of the Catholic cathedral. He told the Cardinal
that John Kerry would be attending the next day's sermon, and he asked if
the Cardinal would kindly point out Kerry to the congregation and say a few
words that would include calling Kerry a saint. The Cardinal replied, "No, I don't really like the man, and there are issues
of conflict with the Catholic Church over certain of Kerry's views." Kerry's manager then said, "Look, I'll write a check here and now for a
donation of $100,000 to your church if you'll just tell the congregation you see Kerry as a saint" The Cardinal thought about it and said, "Well, the church can use the money,
so I'll work your request into tomorrow's sermon." As Kerry's manager promised, Senator Kerry appeared for the Sunday sermon
and seated himself prominently at the edge of the main aisle. And, during
the sermon, as promised, the Cardinal pointed out that Senator Kerry was
present. Then the Cardinal went on to explain to the congregation, "While Senator
Kerry's presence is probably an honor to some, he is not my favorite person.
Some of his views are contrary to those of the church, and he tends to
flip-flop on many other views. John Kerry is a petty, self absorbed
hypocrite and a nit-wit. John Kerry is a liar, a cheat, and a thief. John
Kerry is the worst example of a Catholic I've ever personally witnessed. He
turned on his buddies in Viet Nam. He wrote a book and portrayed himself in
the best light when he was a traitor to his fellow servicemen. He has lied
about his military record and had the gall to put himself in for a medal. He
married for money and is using it to lie to the American people. He also has
a reputation for shirking his senatorial obligations both here, in
Washington and in Massachusetts. He simply isn't to be trusted."
The Cardinal completed his view of Kerry with, "But, when compared to
Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator Kerry is a saint."
Posted by: Delftsman3 at 02:36 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
June 20, 2006
rambling thoughts
Sorry about the lack of substantive posts lately, but it seems that I'm suffering from a down cycle with my CHF. Kinda hard to get really interested in current events when you can't sleep because every time you lay down, you feel like your drowning.
And YES, HD, I AM doing everything I can to get through this and back to a higher level of health, it just takes time.
Posted by: Delftsman3 at 04:48 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
June 19, 2006
More Murtha
Uncle Jimbo says it all.
It can be summed up in a nutshell: "Mr Murtha, YOU have BECOME the enemy."Posted by: Delftsman3 at 04:59 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
June 16, 2006
Budding Speilburgs...
Here's a great video for all you Star Wars fans...
Posted by: Delftsman3 at 11:03 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
June 15, 2006
Iran....
Well, the other day, we had the Iranian Foreign Minister make a fruedian slip? of the tongue when he said that "our nuclear weapons are only for peaceful uses".
He then corrected himself to say "nuclear power generating stations". NOW we have Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar saying that his country would "use nuclear defense as a potential" if "threatened by any power." Of course, the Iranian President still claims that Iran is "only seeking to use nuclear energy for peaceful civilian use"....and it seems that our Left is perfectly willing to give Iran the benefit of the doubt. THEY say that we should assist Iran as we did with North Korea during the Clinton administration, so as to prevent giving the Iranians the excuse to build nuclear weapons.....Say, isn't amazing just how fast NoKo managed to build and test nuclear weapons with that help?!?Seems that Michael Savage, for all his blustery bombastic style, is correct when he states that Liberalism is a mental disease. After all, isn't one definition of insanity doing something over and over again and expecting a different result each time? Lets see, the Iranian President says that Iran only wants nuclear power for electrical generation..yet they are feverishly engaged in refining their nuclear fuel to weapons grade... they are engaged in R & D to possess missiles of ever increasing range and payload capacity....and now, rwo times within one week, two officials high in the government heirarchy have let slip the true intentions of the Irani government. The Left is content with giving Iran "stern warnings", or even assistance to forestall any possible conflict. Seems that they haven't learned the lessons of history, that appeasment of enemies only serve to make those enemies bolder and stronger when the time for direct conflict inevitably comes. Democrats point to the EU's attempts at diplomacy and wonder why "we can't just do the same?" Well the only response I have to that is, just WHAT has those attempt accomplished? It's true that diplomacy should always be the first course of action, but diplomacy from a position of weakness is useless, especially with a culture that sees weakness as something to be exploited to gain as much ground as possible before entering the next stage, active war. Coming from a strong, principled, position, with acknowledged power of greater force to back that position up is the only way to try to conduct effective diplomacy. To think otherwise is not to have your feet firmly gounded in reality.
Posted by: Delftsman3 at 08:57 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
June 14, 2006
something I'd love to see...
A Marine was attending a college course between missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. The professor, an avowed atheist, shocked the Class one day when he walked in, looked toward the ceiling, and said loudly,
"God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 minutes." The lecture room fell silent and the professor began his lecture. Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, "Here I am God - still waiting." It got down to the last minute when the Marine stood up, walked toward the professor and threw his best punch knocking him off the platform and out cold. The Marine went back to his seat and sat down. The other students were shocked and stunned and sat there looking on in silence. The professor came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Marine and asked, "What the hell is the matter with you? Why did you do that?" The Marine calmly replied, "God is busy today protecting America's soldiers who are protecting your right to behave like an idiot and say stupid stuff. So He sent me." to Wild Thing
Posted by: Delftsman3 at 08:50 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
International Kelo?
What do the places on this list have in common?
* Mesa Verde (197
* Yellowstone (197
* Everglades National Park (1979)
* Grand Canyon National Park (1979)
* Independence Hall (1979)
* Kluane / Wrangell-St Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek (1979, 1992, 1994) * 32
* Redwood National Park (1980)
* Mammoth Cave National Park (1981)
* Olympic National Park (1981)
* Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site (1982)
* Great Smoky Mountains National Park (1983)
* La Fortaleza and San Juan Historic Site in Puerto Rico (1983)
* Statue of Liberty (1984)
* Yosemite National Park (1984)
* Chaco Culture National Historical Park (1987)
* Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (1987)
* Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville (1987)
* Pueblo de Taos (1992)
* Carlsbad Caverns National Park (1995)
* Waterton Glacier International Peace Park (1995) * They are all "World Heritage" sites..... in other words under a UN treaty signed onto and ratified by the US in 1973, these sites, in the words of the treaty: "World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located."
That means that sovereignty over these sites is technically ceded to the UN.
Practically speaking, there has been no change over control and use of these areas....YET. But should the UN ever decide to exert authority over them; under international law, they would have that right. Anyone else find this disturbing?
Posted by: Delftsman3 at 03:26 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
A forgotten day
Today is holiday that most Americans have forgotten. We have Memorial day, where we honor those that have died defending our freedom, Veterans day to honor those that serve, Labor day to honor those that keep our country the most economically successful in the history of the worls by the sweat of their brow and the strength of their backs.
Today is the day set aside to remember the birth of the symbol of all those and more. That symbol is 229 years old today, and to our shame, as a people we really don't pay attention to this day. Wild Thing hasn't forgotten though, and she's made a better post about it than I ever could. Most importantly, remember these words.
The flag embodies American freedom: freedom of speech, religion, assembly, the press, and the sanctity of the home. The flag symbolizes every Americans's birthright, A heritage of liberty, purchased with blood and sorrow. It is every Americans's RESPONSIBILITY to maintain Eternal vigilance as the price of that freedom, and to be willing to defend that freedom with every means at their disposal; with their very lives, if need be. To those that would disparage her, I let Penn say it for me:
One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
Thank them both today.
Posted by: Delftsman3 at 01:35 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Subject: Why our Country is in trouble
I got this in an e-mail from one of my most loyal readers, Jack. As it says, WE elected these people, so I guess we deserve what we get from them.
Why our Country is in trouble? Perhaps this will help explain it. A Washington, DC airport ticket agent offers some examples of why our country is in trouble! 1. I had a New Hampshire Congresswoman ask for an aisle seat so that her hair wouldn't get messed up by being near the window. 2. I got a call from a candidate's staffer, who wanted to go to Capetown. I started to explain the length of the flight and the passport information, then she interrupted me with, "I'm not trying to make you look stupid, but Capetown is in Massachusetts," Without trying to make her look stupid, I calmly explained, "Cape Cod is in Massachusetts, Capetown is in Africa,"
Her response - click. 3. A senior Vermont Congressman called, furious about a Florida package we did. I asked what was wrong with the vacation in Orlando. He said he was expecting an ocean-view room. I tried to explain that's not possible, since Orlando is in the middle of the state. He replied, "Don't lie to me, I looked on the map and Florida is a very thin state!" 4. I got a call from a lawmaker's wife who asked, "Is it possible to see England from Canada?" I said, "No." She said, "But they look so close on the map." 5. An aide for a cabinet member once called and asked if he could rent a car in Dallas. When I pulled up the reservation, I noticed he had only a 1-hour layover in Dallas. When I asked him why he wanted to rent a car, he said, "I heard Dallas was a big airport, and we will need a car to drive between gates to save time." 6. An Illinois Congresswoman called last week She needed to know how it was possible that her flight from Detroit left at 8:30 am and got to Chicago at
8:33 am. I explained that Michigan was an hour ahead of Illinois, but she couldn't understand the concept of time zones. Finally, I told her the plane went fast, and she bought that. 7. A New York lawmaker called and asked, "Do airlines put your physical description on your bag so they know whose luggage belongs to whom?" I said, "No, why do you ask?" She replied, "Well, when I checked in with the airline, they put a tag on my luggage that said (FAT), and I'm overweight. I think that's very rude!" After putting her on hold for a minute while I looked into it (I was laughing) I came back and explained the city code for Fresno, CA is (FAT),and the airline was just putting a destination tag on her luggage. 8. A Senator's aide called to inquire about a trip package to Hawaii. After going over all the cost info, she asked, "Would it be cheaper to fly to California, and then take the train to Hawaii?" 9. I just got off the phone with a freshman Congressman who asked, "How do I know which plane to get on?" I asked him what exactly he meant, to which he replied, "I was told my flight number is 823, but none of these planes have numbers on them." 10. A lady Senator called and said, "I need to fly to Pepsi-Cola, Florida. Do I have to get on one of those little computer planes?" I asked if she meant fly to Pensacola, Fl. on a commuter plane. She said, "Yeah, whatever, smarty!" 11. A Senior Senator called and had a question about the documents he needed in order to fly to China. After a lengthy discussion about passports, I reminded him that he needed a visa. "Oh, no I don't. I've been to China many times and never had to have one of those." I double checked and sure enough, his stay required a visa. When I told him this he said, "Look, I've been to China four times and every time they have accepted my American Express!" 12. A New Mexico Congresswoman called to make reservations, "I want to go from Chicago to Rhino, New York." I was at a loss for words. Finally, I said, "Are you sure that's the name of the town?" Yes, what flights do you have?" replied the lady. After some searching, I came back with, "I'm sorry, ma'am, I've looked up every airport code in the country and can't find a Rhino anywhere." The lady retorted, "Oh, don't be silly! Everyone knows where it is.Check your map!"
So I scoured a map of the state of New York and finally offered, "You don't mean Buffalo, do you?" The reply? "Whatever! I knew it was a big animal". Now you know why Government is in the shape that it is.
Posted by: Delftsman3 at 02:33 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
The Yon- HFN affair
Michael Yon is in legal fight with a large multi-national magizine conglomerate over the misuse of one of his copyrighted photos.
The misuse? HFN used a very poignent photo taken by Mr. Yon of an Iraqi child being held in the arms of a Marine. The girl had been shot byHe requested that HFN remove the picture; HFN agreed, but later misused the picture again in another of of the parent companies magazines. HFN seems to believe that they are in no danger from any legal action that Mr. Yon might be capable of mounting; after all, just what resources can a freelance photographer bring to bear against a multibillion dopllar corporation? Well, a number of bloggers, not least among them Blackfive, have decided to flex a little Blogosphere muscle by asking everyone that reads them to boycott any magazines that belong top the HFN stable untill such time as HFN not only makes a fair agreement with Mr. Yon, but STICKS TO IT as well. Contact HFN and let them know that we will no longer allow the media to misuse and abuse another's work in their political agenda, and that if they do, there will be an economic price to pay. Philippe Guelton
Executive Vice President & COO
tel : 1-212-767-6000
fax : 1-212-767-4895
email : pguelton@hfmus.com Yes, me cancelling my subcription to Car & Driver is nothing to them; a mere grain of sand in a vast desert, but people, if I can get every one of my readers to do the same, and get THEIR friends to do the same and pass the word on; and it becomes a geometric progression. It may start slow and weak, but as long as the progression continues, HFN will soon find itself buried under a mighty dune. Go to Michaels site for full contact information, and please, leave him a word of encouragement. He may lead the fight, but let's all help him by joining our voices, and pocketbooks, to his. Boycott these magazines: American Photo
Boating
Car and Driver
Cycle World
Elle
Elle Décor
Flying
Metropolitan Home
Mobile Entertainment
Popular Photography and Imaging
Premiere
Road and Track
Invalid
Sound and Vision
Woman's Day
Let's show the "Big Guys" that we are no longer a silent majority, let our pocketbooks shout out the message loud and clear.
Posted by: Delftsman3 at 01:00 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Stickers I'd like to see
Nick blogged these from His Front Porch, and they were so good, I just HAD to steal borrow them:
* If you're gonna burn our flag, wrap yourself in it first!
* You can't get on your feet till you get off your ass!
* I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!
* If money is the root of all evil, why do churches beg for it?
* I tried seeing your point of view, but I couldn't get my head
that far up my ass!
* Are you drunk, or just on your cellphone?
* I'm not going slow, the clown in front of me is!
* Work harder, millions on welfare depend on it!
* Jesus loves you. Everyone else thinks you're an asshole!
* I'd smack you, but SHIT splatters!
* Can you hear my middle finger over your blaring speakers?
Posted by: Delftsman3 at 12:13 AM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
June 13, 2006
WHAT is in the water in Austin?!?
From Statesman.com:
COMMENTARY: JOHN KELSOShut up and walk your lobster
Tuesday, June 13, 2006 No wonder people think this town is goofy. The Whole Foods Market chain headquartered here in Austin is thinking about stopping the sale of live lobsters because it could be cruel to the lobsters. "We're reviewing the entire process literally from boat to plate to see if we can make some significant improvement in that whole supply process," Whole Foods spokeswoman Kate Lowery said. One way Whole Foods could make some significant improvement would be to release all the lobsters into Town Lake. That way I could collect them and eat them. Still, on Thursday the Whole Foods leadership will discuss whether to discontinue marketing live lobsters because the lobsters may not be getting humane treatment. At issue here is what people do with the lobsters when they take them home — that is, boil them and dip them in drawn butter. "It's ultimately how they're handled by the consumer after they go home that's a concern," Lowery said. What are we supposed to do? Give them names like Larry the Lobster and take them for a walk? Then there's the problem of the lobster's in-store living conditions. Whole Foods would like the lobsters to have an environment similar to their natural habitat. "They like dark areas, and they like solitary," Lowery said. "You can imagine how they would go and kind of burrow into rocks, creating their own space." I think I went drinking once in a place like that in the Warehouse District. Lowery added that at some point Whole Foods will also address the ticklish issue of selling live clams. Are you concerned about clams' feelings? Have you ever had a conversation with a clam? Wait. Let me rephrase that. Have you ever had a conversation with a clam when you weren't on acid? If the answer is yes, get a job at Whole Foods. Another concern is the way children bother the lobsters by tapping on the lobster tank glass. I don't care about that. But I wish science could figure a way to put children on mute and vibrate, like with a cell phone. Now there's a concept that would sell. Anyway, I went over to the Whole Foods store to see if the live lobsters are getting a bum deal in the seafood section. Actually, the lobsters are getting off easy. They're still kickin'. It's the tilapia and salmon that are getting screwed. The tilapia have been hacked to pieces, and the wild salmon have been mushed up with spinach and feta cheese and turned into burgers. Ain't a vet in town could bring these salmon back. And you're telling me the lobsters have a bum deal? One of the problems, said the guy working at the Whole Foods fish counter, is that they can't feed the lobsters in the tank. "When you eat, you then poop, and this creates a dirty tank," he said. Yeah, I've noticed that connection. Maybe Whole Foods could hand the lobsters some bum wad. Another problem, the seafood counter guy said, is the way lobsters are transported to the store. "They're put in a box and wrapped tightly with wet newspaper over the lobster," he said. So Whole Foods could pick up the lobster in a limo. At the prices they charge, they could afford it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ They are "concerned with what the customers buying lobsters do with them at home"?!?! I don't know just WHAT is in the water consumed in Austin, but I pray that it isn't spreading to other towns.....
Posted by: Delftsman3 at 06:38 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
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