Ogre's Politics & Views

November 28, 2005

New Advertiser

I'd like all you good readers to welcome a new advertiser here at Ogre's View. The ad only runs for one week and it started over the Thanksgiving holiday, so let's try and make it worth their time by checking them out.

These ads appear in the upper left corner there in a little rectangle. However, these are not just massive marketing ads, they're just other everyday people who have blogs who are looking for some exposure. In each case, they have taken a look at this little blog and wanted to place an ad and appear on it.

This week it's Sanity's Bluff who's bought some space on this blog.

And look at that darn ad box! Yes, that IS a pig with wings! How can you resist going to read what that's all about? Go on, click away and see what stories and posts await you there!

Oh, and if you are interested in renting that space way up there at the top of the left column here, all you need is a Blog Explosion account (it's free!).

Posted by: Ogre at 08:01 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Charlotte Observer Wants Prohibition

The socialist severely anti-freedom Observer once again uses a tragic death to make repeated calls for prohibition and reductions of freedom at any costs in North Carolina.

The tragedy used is the death of a college student killed by a repeat-offender illegal immigrant who was drunk and going over 100 mph the wrong way on an interstate who collided head-on with the student. The student was killed instantly.

So, the Observer says that because of this death North Carolina should require a permit to buy a certain quantity of beer (a keg). Of course, the illegal in this case didn't have or drink from a keg.

The Observer wants the penalty for death by vehicle increased -- something an illegal would never know because they don't really keep up on the laws of the various states in which they are appearing illegally.

They want to tighten the law on commercial drivers who drink -- and no, the illegal was not a commercial driver. Instead, the illegal had already been arrested repeatedly in various different states for drunk driving. He had no driver's license, never mind a commercial license.

Oh, and the Observer wants the 0.08 BAC level to be more strictly enforced -- despite the FACT that there is ZERO evidence that keeping those with a 0.08 BAC level will have ANY effect on drunk drivers. If the law were designed to keep dangerously drunk drivers off the road, the legal level would be about 0.17 -- which is what it should be.

Posted by: Ogre at 05:05 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 27, 2005

Weekend Wrap-up

Wow. I'm humbled by the number of people who stopped by, read, and posted here on Saturday. 24 different comments from different people. I expected 10, tops. If I extrapolate the numbers like politicians do (each contact is 100 people), then over 2,400 people were here Saturday! Wow, I need to do some better writing for the weekends!

Thanks again for everyone stopping by and commenting. If nothing else, it lets me know I shouldn't give up blogging on the weekends (which I was considering).

And as an added feature for those stopping by this evening, I've got a free sneak peek at the next layout for Ogre's Views. The page is currently testing here. The logon section is not turned on yet, it's still testing. If you feel like it, take a peek and see if anything looks incorrect.

The layout is designed for a wide screen -- if you're viewing at 800x600, there's going to be some odd overlap of images -- I think I'm going to insert a redirect if you try and view it with a window width too small (<1000). Other than than, let me know if there's anything you can't read or if it looks odd!

(I've got 1/2 the logon part done and hope to complete it this week).

Posted by: Ogre at 10:21 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

He's got decorations

Via Smokey and VW:

This guy has SO got me beat on Christmas decorations. But hey, there's always next year.

Linked to Euphoric Reality's, Stop the ACLU's and Cao's open trackbacks.

Posted by: Ogre at 12:00 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

New Neighbor #35

Hello, good Sunday morning to you, and welcome to this week's New Neighbor!

Each Sunday I randomly select a blog from the enormous Evangelical blogroll over there on the left side (scroll down, it's over there somewhere) and introduce it -- as suggested by the owner of the blogroll, Joe Carter.

This week's neighbor is

Happy Mills


The Happy Mills blog is a blog by Brad and Carrie Mills. It appears Brad started an about page, but really leaves us hanging. That page ends with
When we first came back to Fresno…

I'm wondering if that sentence ends with something good or something bad...

Posted by: Ogre at 08:43 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 26, 2005

Saturday Readings

I'll be spending most of the day Saturday putting up MORE Christmas decorations. Mostly I'll be getting them out of the attic and putting them up indoors, but I'm also working on some decorations for the blog here.

In the meantime, I'm curious as to how many people stop by and read this blog on a 4-day weekend Saturday. If you read this (on Saturday), could you please just leave a comment so I can tell you were here? Just a one-word "Bleh" would be fine.

And if you read this more than once, you can leave more than one comment, too! Thanks in advance.

Posted by: Ogre at 07:42 AM | Comments (30) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 25, 2005

Christmas Decorations

Some of my good readers (all 10 of you) might be wondering what the Ogre does on Black Friday (other than complain about printers). After wandering about and doing some shopping (why not? It's loads of fun watching everyone else), he spent the afternoon putting up outdoor Christmas decorations. Have a look:

outdoors.jpg
(Click to enlarge)

That's 3 large blow-up decorations, and what didn't make the picture -- see those candy canes in the foreground? There's another 45 of them off to the right. Really. It's totally Griswald. On the right, that's Santa coming up out of the ditch and a 12' tall Moose behind him.

The snow globe on the left is new this year, but I still need one more new thing (I'm limited to 2 new things a year...)

Oh, and tomorrow will be indoor decorations -- blog decorations are in the works.

Posted by: Ogre at 06:45 PM | Comments (20) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Welcome to Black Friday

Welcome to Black Friday. Go support capitalism and buy something! If you hate crowds, just buy it online!

Oh, but I'd suggest against buying the Dell Photo AI0 Printer 942.

It works fine for awhile, but once I ran out of printer ink, the problem began. The first problem is that no one provides the ink for this printer but Dell. So if you want replacement cartridges, you must buy them from Dell -- this means they can charge whatever they want.

The next problem came when I actually installed the cartridge that I had to buy from Dell. The printer goes out of it's way to let you know when the ink is low. Every time you try and print, the software stops you to let you know you're out of ink.

The ONLY way to inform the printer that you've bought a new cartridge is to install the new ink cartridge. So I did. And the printer doesn't believe it's a new cartridge. Therefore, any time I try and print, it tells me I'm out of ink and asks me if I really want to print.

After searching all on-line and included help files, there is apparently NO way to force the printer to understand it has a new cartridge. I've installed and re-installed the cartridge about 20 times now, all with the same result.

So, either Dell shipped me an empty cartridge, or the printer will not recognize the cartridge made by the same manufacturer. Either way, it's a piece of crap that I suggest you avoid.

Posted by: Ogre at 09:58 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 24, 2005

Thanksgiving Day Round-Up

If you want to read what others are saying about Thanksgiving, here's some links to things people are posing that I've found. If you want to add to the list, go ahead and trackback -- anything related to Thanksgiving is OK!

GM Roper is Thankful.
Boudicca is very, very thankful.
Jo wishes everyone blessings.
Jay is thankful, despite the ACLU.
Beth is thankful.
TMH's Bacon Bits is also Thankful.
Heidi and Kit send Thanksgiving greetings.
Is it just me offers thanks too.
Sissy is... well, you read it.
VW gets some help with her Thanksgiving preparations.
And That 1 Guy, well, sort of history of Thanksgiving.
Tammi's not feeling well.
Teach has a poem.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Also linked to Cao's Thanksgiving Trackbacks.

Posted by: Ogre at 06:41 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Grateful People are Happy

At this time of year, especially in America, everyone joins together to give thanks. Sure, there's those who don't, but for the most part, the religious and even the atheists take the day off to celebrate the good bounty and to give thanks for all they have.

It's at this time that people really are happiest. That's because grateful people really are happy. Those who are not grateful are generally miserable. That's just the way it is.

Lack of gratefulness leads to misery -- for more than one. When one person gives and another receives, being grateful leads to happiness for both. When the receiver is not grateful, that leads to unhappiness for the receiver and the giver tends to be resentful.

This also shows why government cannot be successful in giving programs. Government, as an agent to redistribute wealth, is utterly impersonal. The recipient cannot truly show that they are grateful to the giver, because they are insulated from the giver by the government agency. At the same time, the giver cannot see or receive the gratefulness of the receiver.

Before the years of the "great society," givers and receivers were not insulated from one another. Charity and helpfulness was done at a local level by local people. People could give voluntarily and receivers could show their gratitude.

Such is no longer the case. Now people feel they are owed things that are given to them and do not show gratitude. Those who do attempt to show gratitude cannot because of the impersonal nature of the government and the forced "giving" by the taxpayer.

So maybe that's one reason why there's so much anger, conflict, and unhappiness in this country. Yes, the government, through welfare and other associated programs, really does do more harm than good, no matter their intentions.

I truly hope you are grateful -- today and every day.

Posted by: Ogre at 01:29 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

George Bush Thanksgiving Proclamation

Thanksgiving Day, 2005
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

Thanksgiving Day is a time to remember our many blessings and to celebrate the opportunities that freedom affords. Explorers and settlers arriving in this land often gave thanks for the extraordinary plenty they found. And today, we remain grateful to live in a country of liberty and abundance. We give thanks for the love of family and friends, and we ask God to continue to watch over America.

This Thanksgiving, we pray and express thanks for the men and women who work to keep America safe and secure. Members of our Armed Forces, State and local law enforcement, and first responders embody our Nation's highest ideals of courage and devotion to duty. Our country is grateful for their service and for the support and sacrifice of their families. We ask God's special blessings on those who have lost loved ones in the line of duty.

We also remember those affected by the destruction of natural disasters. Their tremendous determination to recover their lives exemplifies the American spirit, and we are grateful for those across our Nation who answered the cries of their neighbors in need and provided them with food, shelter, and a helping hand. We ask for continued strength and perseverance as we work to rebuild these communities and return hope to our citizens.

We give thanks to live in a country where freedom reigns, justice prevails, and hope prospers. We recognize that America is a better place when we answer the universal call to love a neighbor and help those in need. May God bless and guide the United States of America as we move forward.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 24, 2005, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all Americans to gather together in their homes and places of worship with family, friends, and loved ones to reinforce the ties that bind us and give thanks for the freedoms and many blessings we enjoy.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirtieth.

GEORGE W. BUSH

Linked to Real Teen and Cao's Blog.

Posted by: Ogre at 10:28 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

George Washington Thanksgiving Proclamation

General Thanksgiving
By the PRESIDENT of the United States Of America
A PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;-- for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;-- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;-- and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;-- to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.

(signed) G. Washington

Linked to Cao's Open Trackbacks.

Posted by: Ogre at 08:26 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 23, 2005

Fun Stuff

Well, it's after noon on the east coast before a 4-day holiday weekend (at least in the U.S.). I'm not sure anyone is reading anything any more, so I'm going to put the brain on hold until sometime later. In the meantime, VW has her weekly Humor for Wednesday up. It includes gems like these:

If you're too open minded, your brains will fall out

Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he'll be a mile away - and barefoot

Posted by: Ogre at 02:05 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Hillary Clinton Inconsistent?

An interesting justaposition on political positions here. Mrs. Clinton said,

to stay ... "until the job is done" amounts to giving the [them] "an open-ended invitation not to take care of themselves."

And I agree completely...if she were talking about things like government social programs, welfare, the war on drugs, social engineering, utopian laws, etc. But, of course, being a Democrat, she was talking about Iraq.

So her position is that if the US government keeps helping Iraq endlessly, it's bad because they will become dependent on the US. However, if the US government keeps helping wefare recipients, it's not bad because they will also become dependent on the US.

How do you rationalize that position? I guess Clinton just wants certain people dependent on her -- ones that are physically close to her and relatively unarmed.

Posted by: Ogre at 11:45 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Taxation without Representation

One of the few valid purposes of governments is to protect rights. However, whenever it comes to one government agency getting more tax money, no matter the purpose, reason, or method, NO other government agency will step in and uphold the law.

Case in point: another example of taxation without representation.

Posted by: Ogre at 10:18 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Free Speech

It's just freedom of speech, right?

collegesign.gif

Your right to free speech ends when you require me, at gunpoint, to pay for it. Government has NO business in education.

Update: The anti-American bastard is no longer taking my money. Good riddance.

Posted by: Ogre at 07:28 AM | Comments (14) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Pot? Meet Kettle.

Here's irony for you: Earl of the North Carolina Legislature (House Speaker) Jim Black wants the legislature to form an ethics committee. This is in response to the first three people assigned to run the new NC Gambling Tax commissions, err...lottery, who have resigned due to "conflicts of interest."

Talk about closing the barn door after the horse have gotten out -- actually a more accurate description would be closing the fence gate after the cattle have left -- and there's no fence, just a gate standing in a field.

He wants to form an ethics committee to examine GAMBLING. As Bugs Bunny would say, "What a maroon!"

Of course, the real reason for this is to attempt to deflect attention away from Jim Black, who has various FBI investigations ongoing into people closely related to, and employed by him. I mean how many sitting speakers of houses in the country currently have a web site dedicated to getting him to resign...run by a member of his own political party?

Posted by: Ogre at 06:55 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 22, 2005

A Bath?

Kender seems to think I need a bath. I don't smell anything...

Posted by: Ogre at 04:13 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Carnivals!

A few carnivals for your reading pleasure, if you're not already on Thanksgiving vacation -- or, even if you are and just are looking for some good reading!

First up this time is the New Blog Showcase Carnival. This is the blog carnival that showcases new blogs (blogs that are less than 3 months old). This week's host is Bloggin' Out Loud.

The new blog showcase really is a neat one. This week Bloggin' Out Loud does a great job introducing a number of new blogs. Go read them -- remember when you were brand-new and dying for comments?

Next up this week is the growing Carnival of Liberty, this week hosted at Left Brain Female in a Right Brain World.

This carnival is really getting large, but it's always a good read. If you want to read about growing or shrinking liberties in America today, this is the carnival that you want to read. Lots and lots of good stuff is there for you to read now.

I've saved the best for last in this post -- my favorite carnival, The Tarheel Tavern. This is a carnival for and about North Carolina blogging, so feel free to jump right in.

This one is usually quite light on the political views and anger and nearly always has a very wide variety of posts on all sorts of topics. If you want some lighter reading, be sure to head that way! This week, Pratie's Place is the Tavern host this week. Grab a drink and head on over!

Posted by: Ogre at 03:25 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

More Carnivals

And there's more carnivals this week for your reading pleasure while visiting your relatives!

The Carnival of the Clueless, brought to you by Right Wing NutHouse highlights all sorts of people who are, well, really clueless. Most of them have found a home in government.

The Conservative Cat has some Funny Stuff. Need a laugh? Head there.

Posted by: Ogre at 02:58 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

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