February 03, 2006
The Day the Music Died
Today is the anniversary of the Day the Music Died. 47 years ago today, on February 3, 1959, three absolute greats in music were killed in a plane crash in Iowa. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "Big Bopper" Richardson died. They were true pioneers in the Rock 'n Roll world and will always be remembered.
, "American Pie" about 10,000 times. I'm going to listen to it yet again today."Bye bye Miss American Pie..."
Posted by: Ogre at 12:24 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Interesting NC Court Decisions
In North Carolina, a father has zero say in their child's life -- if he's not married to the mother. Keep that in mind, potential fathers. In the decision, the courts ruled that a father could not object to a child being put up for adoption the mother supported.
In addition, the court ruled that the alienation of affection law (utterly HATED by liberal Democrats) could be applied to someone who steals a spouse even after the date of divorce. The alienation of affection law, for those not in NC, says that if one person "lures" another into adultery, the person not in the marriage can be sued for financial and other damages. In this case, the relationship started, then the couple got divorced. And folks, that's against the law. Keep that in mind, if you're visiting the this state.Posted by: Ogre at 10:07 AM | Comments (16) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
February 02, 2006
Weird Animal Quiz?
Ktreva, from The Reality Ranch decided to post a quiz, and for some reason thought of me when she did, I have NO idea why.
I figured I had a spare 12 seconds, so I went and took the quiz.
your a llama! you are uber cool but you just don't
know it O_o you tend to be a little random at
times but you don't seem to care.
o_O What weird creature are you? O_o
brought to you by Quizilla
Posted by: Ogre at 07:04 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
ACLU Supports Underage Drinking
Well, why not? They support anything that would oppose goodness and laws. In this case, they are seriously questioning a HIGH SCHOOL that is administering breathalyzer tests to students. The ACLU claims that it's not right and not OK because they school is not profiling and is administering the tests to everyone.
So the ACLU opposes profiling, and they oppose checking everyone. In other words, the ACLU opposes ANYONE from being checked. In case you missed it, this is at a HIGH SCHOOL. Last time I checked, there weren't a lot of 21-year olds in high school (of course this IS a government school...). Therefore, if anyone is attending the school dance (that's the only time they test) and is drunk, they are breaking the law. But then, that must be why the ACLU opposes this test. The ACLU believes these students, aged 15-19, apparently have a right to not only drink alcohol, but to attend a public function on taxpayer property, while intoxicated. Keep that in mind next time the ACLU asks for your support. Now if the ACLU were to win this lawsuit, who do you think would be the first ones to start screaming when a student attended the dance drunk and got in a car crash on the way home? The ACLU is a pile of crap. This was a production of Stop The ACLU Blogburst. If you would like to join us, please email Jay at Jay@stoptheaclu.com or Gribbit at GribbitR@gmail.com. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll. Over 150 blogs already on-board.Posted by: Ogre at 04:01 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Denmark Doesn't Cave
Posted by: Ogre at 02:02 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
GroundHog Day!
Happy GroundHog Day!
Posted by: Ogre at 12:02 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Money in NC Politics
The election for NC governor is not until 2008. So, how much will it cost if you want to be governor? So far (and there's over 2 years left), 3 Democrats have raised over $3,000,000.00. The candidates? Lt. Gov Perdue, Treasurer Moore, and Atty General Cooper. All 3 are current office holders who were re-elected to their current positions in 2004.
So why so much money? Why is so much money paid to people to run for governor? Shouldn't it cost less? Wouldn't it be great if non-professional career people could run for office? What's the solution? The solution is NOT to limit freedom of speech. The solution is NOT to stop people from donating or spending money. The solution is to get the money out of government -- if government weren't spending tens of billions of dollars, people wouldn't pay millions to politicians. If government didn't have ultimate control and millions of regulations controlling every aspect of business and personal life, people wouldn't need to bribe politicians to get freedom. Freedom would be owned by the people, not by the government. Get cash out of government -- by NOT by taking away freedom of speech.Posted by: Ogre at 10:03 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
February 01, 2006
Mission: Impossible III
Hey look -- the Mission Impossible: III web site has more stuff. They've got two more images that you can steal view and use. And yes, they do have Tom Cruise in them, so if you don't like him, just ignore me, it, and this.
Posted by: Ogre at 07:01 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
EFF Loons
Usually I think the Electronic Frontier Foundation does some good work. This time, they've just gone off their rocker. The EFF has filed suit against AT&T. For what?
This case challenges the legality of Defendants’ participation in a secret and illegal government program to intercept and analyze vast quantities of Americans’ telephone and Internet communications, surveillance done without the authorization of a court and in violation of federal electronic surveillance and telecommunications statutes, as well as the First and Fourth Amendments to the United States Constitution.
Uh...ok. I think these people aren't quite aware of the Constitution. If there's a violation of "freedom of speech," it's difficult and almost impossible for an individual company to do so. If a company tells you to shut up about something, there cannot be a free speech violation. If you're employed by them, you either shut up or get fired. If you're not employed by them, feel free to ignore them. Either way, there's no violations. It's the same with the fourth and other alleged violations here -- they're WAY off base with this lawsuit. In addition, they're intentionally ignorant of the law. They list zero people who were harmed. If no one has been harmed, if there are no victims, what damages can they sue for? There are none! The lawsuit simply lists some people who have called long distance. The lawsuit also claims that AT&T violated the law by giving database records to the government. Hey loons, unlike Google, perhaps AT&T is actually complying with law -- when the government subpoenas documents that may contain evidence of terrorism and acts against the government, you're supposed to provide them. Don't like it? Elect someone else. I could go through each point of the lawsuit, but why? The lawsuit goes on for 28 pages. Each section lists the law that's allegedly been broken. And nearly every one has a section at the end that is similar to this:
(6) on demand of other lawful authority.
So the law clearly states that if there is an authority that requests the information, it needs to be provided. If the EFF is interested in questioning this action, they need to talk to the lawful authority and leave AT&T the heck out of it -- it's nothing but a waste of time and money that *I* will have to pay in increased fees for using AT&T services. The lawsuit should be dismissed for various reasons, very quickly. There is no basis for the lawsuit. There is no evidence of any damages. The people listed in the lawsuit as suing and the lawyers who filed the suit should be heavily fined to discourage such lawsuit abuse. But, in all likelihood, this is just a publicity stunt, being paid for with tax dollars (for court and document processing fees). Then again, AT&T might just give them some money to shut up -- again paid for by all customers to AT&T.
Posted by: Ogre at 05:06 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Almost Common Sense
It seems there's an attempt to infuse a slight bit of common sense into South Dakota laws. The lawmakers there have passed a bill (out of committee) that would remove drunk horseback riding as a crime -- and drunk bike riding.
Yes, it sounds stupid, but I actually know someone in Minnesota who got a DUI while riding a bicycle. That's right, hundreds of dollars in fines, community service, massively increased AUTOMOBILE insurance, police record, and all the associated stigma -- for drinking 3 beers and riding his bicycle. The new law would allow people to ride a horse or bicycle home when they're drunk (keep in mind these days "drunk" means you had as little as ONE beer with the moronic 0.08 BAC laws). And as a side effect, this might actually decrease "drunk" driving -- since before there was no advantage to riding your bike home -- you might as well drive you car -- the penalty was the same! This could also help businesses (since that's one of the primary purposes of government today). For example, I often consider going to the local pub for a beer. However, I realize that I cannot, because if I drink one beer and leave, I could get a DUI. Instead, I just buy a case and stay home. If I could ride my bike to the pub, have a beer, and then ride home without fear of worse punishment than committing murder because of a DUI on a bicycle, I could actually visit the pub more often. Sure, I might scratch up a knee on my way home, but government would have more of my money, so they'd be happen.Posted by: Ogre at 03:02 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
State of the Union -- In Brief
Ok, for those who aren't interested in the details, a quick summary of president Bush's state of the union address:
War on Terror -- we're winning, and we're not stopping.Iraq -- we're winning, and we've almost won.
Tax cuts -- good, but not enough, and they need to be permanent.
Federal spending -- Bush will cut everything but "security" spending.
Social security, Medicare, Medicaid -- Spend more.
Immigration -- stronger borders, allow more people in via "guest worker programs."
Health care -- government to "confront" higher costs.
Medical liability reform -- wants Congress to pass it.
Energy -- HUGE increases in government spending on research.
Automobiles -- gigantic increases in research spending.
Education -- enormous increases in federal spending.
Crime -- down is good.
Human cloning -- wants it banned.
Juvenile delinquents -- give them money.
New Orleans -- even MORE money.
AIDS -- spend piles of cash on it. Well. I'm not sure that doesn't contradict itself, but there you have it. I'm not quite sure how he's going to cut spending while increasing spending, or how to tighten the borders while welcoming more "guest workers," but that is what it is. And as a side note who like to attack conservatives, if Bush were a fiscal conservative, everywhere you see "increased spending" above, it would read "decrease spending." So no, he simply is not a fiscal conservative. But then, I'm not sure any elected officials are, since they're so busy buying votes with my money in the form of giveaways. If you want more, check Eidelblog, Combs Spouts Off, Louisiana Libertarian, Below the Beltway, and Q and O.
Posted by: Ogre at 01:02 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
No Government by the People
In case you thought North Carolina was a state with self-government, I have yet another example to show you why it is not. And no, this isn't about government "official" who is ignoring the will of the people -- at times, that should happen. This is about how the government is set up in North Carolina.
There are just 7 states in the entire US that allow involuntary annexation. That is a process by which any city or municipality can decide they want land nearby to be theirs, and they just take it. Of those 7, only 3 do not allow citizens to vote on the annexation. So, in North Carolina, if you live in the country and want to have nothing to do with a nearby city, you have absolutely, literally, no say in the matter -- you don't even get to elect the people who are annexing you! This is how the city of Charlotte gets to claim it is a fast-growing city -- it's not because people are moving to the city, it's because the city has been involuntarily annexing surrounding people at a rate of over 20,000 people per year. So, what's the hope of getting back to self-government? Elect people to the North Carolina legislature that will change that law. Allow property owners an actual say in what happens to them and the land they own. If you're opposed to that, it can only be because you don't trust people. I'm sorry, I trust people. I believe they will do what is best for them -- unlike the government. John Hopkins has more.Posted by: Ogre at 10:05 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
January 31, 2006
I Want to Join the Bad Example Clan Because
My Mom always used to say to me, "If everyone else were jumping off a bridge, would you do it, too?" For many years, my answer was the same hang-dog expression, slouching of the shoulders, and shuffling away, mumbling, "No."
Then on day I got smart. After I started answering, "Well gee, if they're all jumping, they must be having fun, so I think I'd need to try it. Mom, you always tell me to try new things, right?" -- she stopped asking me that question. So, when faced with the opportunity to join the Bad Example Clan, I figured since everyone else is doing it, it must be some kind of fun! But first, let me tell you about how I found the Bad Example Family. Once upon a time, in a land far away... oh wait, that's not it...Posted by: Ogre at 10:21 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Picky Eater Contest
It seems a challenge has been issued. Sissy, of And What's Next, has laid claim to the title of "Pickiest Eater in the Blogosphere."
BUT, she only laid the claim in response to Echo Zoe's claim when speaking of my wonderful Spam lunch, where he claimedNo Sissy, I am the world's pickiest eater. As far as arguments about it go, I am undefeated. My wife is super picky, but she caved in and conceded defeat in minutes when we first met and discussed it.
Sissy has posted her list of foods she won't eat. Echo? Is there enough room in the internet to post your list? Does anyone else dare attempt to post a longer list of things they won't eat? I'll go ahead and post mine: Brussel Sprouts.
Baloot.
Mushrooms. I think that's about it.
Posted by: Ogre at 05:09 PM | Comments (19) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
New Advertisers
I'd like to introduce a couple of the advertisers here on this site. However, I might need to check with a lawyer or the FEC or something.
Over on the left sidebar, you'll see an ad for Nathan Tabor for NC Senate. He is running for election to the North Carolina Senate in district 31. Go check his site and read what his ideas are to help North Carolina. Now, I'm pretty safe on that one, as the laws permitting free speech in NC don't prohibit using the internet for free speech. However, I have no idea what the current federal laws are. And, over on the right side, you should see a nice large yellow ad supporting Kissell for Congress. Let's see...since his ad is appearing here on my site, do I have to report an "in-kind" contribution to his campaign? But his campaign paid someone else to place that ad on my site, and presumably, I will get a portion of that advertising revenue. Does that revenue to me that was paid by his campaign need to be reported as a campaign contribution from him to the ad company to me to him? But don't newspapers get to run paid political ads without reporting them? Or does the initial expenditure to purchase the ad count as the reporting? But can a blog be considered anything related to a newspaper? Gee, both are supplying information to those who want it. Oh, but wait, what if I say something more specific, like "Vote Kissell." Now do I have to report something? Do I have to report that I said it, or is there a cash value associated with it? Does it matter how many times I say it? Should I start reporting a 0.1-cent contribution each time I type "Vote Kissell?" Or should I report it every time someone READS what I typed? And then, what if I type something bad, like "Don't vote Kissell." Now what? Does it cancel out the contribution from before? Should I keep track of how many times I type "vote" and "don't vote?" Or should the contributions be based on how many people actually READ those lines? If the FEC decides they want to regulate freedom of speech over the internet, I might just have to print and mail them a report of each time I think someone has read those lines. I think I'll need a bulk mail permit. OR, should I just have freedom of speech, especially political speech, to say whatever the heck I want to on this blog? I think we all know what the answer should be. But anyway, please do visit both of those campaigns who have decided to advertise here on this little blog. Thank you both!Posted by: Ogre at 03:07 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Interview with a Deaniac
It seems this past weekend that Howie Dean was a guest on Fox News Sunday. And during the interview, he was referred to as Lord Governor Dean.
Posted by: Ogre at 01:04 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Corruption in NC Legislature
The North Carolina General Assembly is corrupt. I know many don't want to admit it, but it truly is. Democrats have run this state using the "good old boy network" for the better part of a century. Republicans have NEVER controlled the state. Keep that in mind.
This year a new law went into effect the REQUIRED all government school students to have a complete eye exam. No, there's no reason for it -- no one benefits because the students could attend no matter how they scored on the test, and the school would do nothing different for students who did poorly. And don't worry, if you couldn't afford it, the legislature would pay for it ($2 million new spending). Oh wait, someone would benefit -- the doctors who performed the exam! Suddenly large numbers of preschool children would be getting eye exams. And do you know the profession of the Democrat Party leader of the NC House who personally added that requirement last year (to a spending bill)? He's an optometrist. Go ahead, try and convince me that's not corruption. But that's not even all. Now that the state is in the gambling business, the local "Native American Tribe" wants in -- the Cherokee tribe wants to put in Vegas-style games on their "reservation." Will they? Well, it depends on how much money they donate to the politicians -- just you watch.Posted by: Ogre at 10:01 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
January 30, 2006
Hot Blog Sauce
Do you like Hot Sauce? I love it. Now I don't like the hot sauce that burns your taste buds off your tongue. But I do like things hot. For example, I like crushed red pepper on the pizza, and I like Tabasco on my BBQ.
There's two big blogs that blog about hot sauce (that I know of): The Hot Zone Online, and Hot Sauce Blog. Well, it wasn't enough to just blog about it, Nick introduced a brand new hot sauce for bloggers. No really, the name of the hot sauce is "Hot Blog Sauce!" And all proceeds from it's sale go to the American Cancer Society. I already ordered mine -- I'll post a review after I try it!Posted by: Ogre at 08:06 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
A couple short videos
Some lighter fare for the Monday that won't end. And why haven't we done away with Mondays yet?
Breaking news report from Iraq. Yes, it's safe for work, and not remotely political. It's just damn funny. Hat tip to Kender. And, in case you missed it the first time this ad made the rounds, a great commercial for Beer. If you wonder if you've seen it, well, just watch it again, it's really good. Completely safe for work. Hat tip to Smokey.Posted by: Ogre at 06:04 PM | Comments (17) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Tar Heel Tavern
This week's Tarheel Tavern is posted at BlueNC. Head on over and have a read.
The Tarheel Tavern is a weekly blog carnival of posts from and about North Carolina bloggers. And this week (February 4th), yours truly is the host! So if you're blogging in North Carolina, or even ABOUT North Carolina, feel free to participate! Just send your posts on to me (hit the email link over to the left).Posted by: Ogre at 04:05 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
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