Why I Won't Put Political Sticker On My Car

I live in SoCal, have all my life, but I wouldn't put a bumper sticker or anything on my vehicle stating my political views because I know it would bring "retribution." I'm one of those few that live here that believe in the conservative agenda, and that cannot be allowed.

I drive through Los Angeles daily. I see Clinton, Kerry and Gore stickers constantly. I may think they are fools, but to do any damage to their cars, doesn't cross my mind.

Then you read about something like this: Anti-Military Lawyer Damages Marine's Car on Eve of Deployment


What is it about the liberal ideology that makes it alright to destroy property because someone has "perceived" (OMG, he had a Marine plate, he deserves at least a keying of his car) different leanings?

I saw this mind set with the Watts riots, the complaint against the police gave them the right to loot and burn down the local supermarkets. That led to over 30 years of no supermarkets in Watts. Worked out good for those families that had to ride a bus for 10 miles to get to a grocery store before the majors would risk the investment again.

I Think My Spleen Is Gonna Burst!

I mentioned below that I was pissed at my job. Well, it's the end of the year, so I'm going to rant a little about my work environment.

The company I work for hasn't generated positive income for over a year. This was due to lack of basic maintenance that started long before I arrived four years ago. I've seen records of things that are "required" bi-annually that haven't been done in 19 years. The "foreman" will not give true answers to the owner about why things won't work right, and the Operators (I'm one of them) get blamed for the shortfall.

As to the Operators, literally half of them do not understand the principles of the system (There are only four Operators). The concept of the gas has to go through these lines and fluid though through the others, even though they will meet up again farther down the line, is beyond them.

We have no set of tools at work, some, but never what you need. When I first started here, I would bring my personal tools in to do a project, but when I'd get them back broken, or see someone using a screwdriver for a chisel and then shatter the handle with a hammer and try to tell me "It must have been a cheapo", that ended that.

The reason I'm so PO'd right at the moment...I'm working graveyard, it's a babysitting shift, keep things balanced and handle the unexpected. I'm not there, but I would be willing to bet that some people sleep through most of this rotation (seems like it when you relieve them). I don't!, I'm at work, and I'm getting paid a shift differential to be there. We do have basic satellite TV, but unless you're really into "Paid Programing" there isn't much on that is stimulating.

The "foreman" pulled the modem for the internet over this "weekend" (6 days with the holiday). I use reading the Rott and other sites as a way to keep track of time. Two or three articles, it's been about 30 minutes, time to make rounds again.

The pulling of the modem only happens when I'm on graveyard. This is the third time he's done this. There is no discussion of anything I've failed to live up to or anything, it just seems to be a power play against me. The latest, I would guess, is because I was going to hook up a piece of equipment over the Christmas Holidays and we didn't have a 1/2" to 1/4" bushing to finish the job. I wasn't going to have a $1.59 fitting delivered on the Christmas weekend, and we've scavenged everything in the yard (I looked for two days). It was so important that it still isn't done.

While I'm not anything close to a hacker, I do know more than most about how computers work. I can track most peoples use of the internet on a machine through histories and archived "temporary" internet files...I know where you've been and how long you were there.

If anyone in Texas, Oklahoma or there abouts has a job open, I'm looking.

Blah

I'm been in a melancholy funk for the last few days. I can't work up enthusiasm to do much of anything and if it wasn't for work (which I'm completely pissed at right now) I don't think I'd get up and move at all.

It may just from last week getting up and going to work in the dark and then getting off work in the dark. Well that, on top of all the other glorious things going on in my life.

Sometime when I was sleeping, the TV must have run one of those infomercials for songs from the sixties, because I've had these two running through my head constantly.


It does seem that if I get afflicted with these "ghost songs" and I find them on YouTube, post them and listen to them a couple of times, they go away. I hope it works this time, because I would rather not go into the New Year in this state of mind.

It's Christmas!

To all who drop by here, I wish you a very "Merry Christmas!"

My holiday spirit has been subdued this year due to looong work hours and family "things".

The joy that I have found in this time comes from my belief in the real reason for this celebration. It's not the gifts or the gathering of clans that occur, though important, they are not the true meaning to me, merely a ritual used to make an observance of the day.

I truly believe that on this "designated" day a boy was born that would lead us on the path to what is right, and he would give up his mortal life to show us the way.

To all my friends in the Rottie Empire, throughout the blog-o-sphere, and particularly BisW, Sig, GuyK, Rightwingprof, Pychochick, BC, JB and all of you that are to numerous to name, I can only wish you the joy of the season.

I love you all.

Christmas Meme

I knew if I hung around these sites long enough, it was going to happen. It was my good friend BlackisWhite finally nailed me.

There are rule, and I will try my hardest to comply with them (you'll see I've already complied with rule #1)

1) Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. Done

(These are the rules).

2) Share Christmas facts about yourself. While not coming from a overly religious family, as I've gotten older, I've become more religious about the meaning of the season.

3) Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs. I don't know 7 people

4) Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. If they're really my friends they'll come by and read this exciting post and know they've been tagged.

Here goes:

1. Wrapping or gift bags? Wrapping...and tear the hell out of it opening it up. I was frugally raised to...I'm not sure what. The carefully opened and saved paper wasn't used next year, but my Grandparents and my Dad went through bad times in the Depression and even though they could afford it when I was a kid, I guess trashing anything that could be useful went against their nature. I respect their take on it. I think it taught me about deprivation, whichmy parents had done everything in their power to make sure I didn't face

2. Real or artificial tree? REAL!!! My Mom dictated an aluminum tree with blue and green ornaments (matching blue and green Christmas lights outside) for about 4 years. We finally got an artificial green tree after that, since I moved out...It's real or why bother.

3. When do you put up the tree? Two weeks before Christmas

4. When do you take the tree down? First day off of work after "New Year".


5. Do you like eggnog? Love it, only problem is that I'm (mildly) lactose intolerant, I'll be dying for the next 36 hours.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? A toy Civil War cannon

7. Do you have a nativity scene? A couple

8. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I had to come back to this one...if they made the effort, I'll take it in the spirit given.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? CARDS

10. Favorite Christmas movie? Three way tie, "A Christmas Story", "A Christmas Carol" (with Alistair Sims) and "It's a Wonderful Life".

11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Last second. The selves are half empty, so there are fewer choices and less to worry over getting this or that.

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Ham!! Preferably store bought Honey Baked with that spiral cut.

13. Clear lights or colored? Colored

14. Favorite Christmas song? Tie.."We Three Kings" and "Oh Holy Night""

15. Travel at Christmas or stay at home? Home, although I miss going cross town to my Parent's on Christmas Eve.

16. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? No.

17. Angel or star on the top of your tree? Varies from year to year.

18. Open your presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? I prefer morning, but for the last five years I work Christmas Day (5AM to 1PM), ain't time in the morning, and the family doesn't want to wait till I get home. We use to do my Parents on the Eve and home Day.

19. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The lack of true spirit and recognition of what the day really means.

20. What do you leave for Santa? Beer

21. Least favorite holiday song? "12 Days of Christmas"

22. Do you decorate your tree with any specific theme or color? Nope, it's just a hodge-podge of ornaments we've collected over the years. Maybe the theme could be "Our Life."

23. Favorite ornament? A stupid plastic bugle. It's been "my ornament" since I was 4 years old.

I'm gonna nail my good friends GuyK, Sig94 and RightWingProf. There's still a couple of days until Christmas

Why I Still Like Fred

If Fred had come out hard punching on these issues I think he'd be in a much better position today.

Blatantly stolen from GUYK

Nanny State Asshattery

Because we regular people are to stupid to know how to take care of ourselves, the Mayor of San Franfreako is going to implement a tax to punish those who drink sodas.


San Francisco mayor wants to tax stores that sell sodas
AP
Posted: 2007-12-17 20:15:34

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Mayor Gavin Newsom wants large grocery stores to help fight obesity by paying fees on sodas and other beverages they sell in San Francisco.

Newsom has asked his staff to prepare a law that would charge retail chains for stocking Coke, Pepsi and other drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. [emphasis-mine]

First thing that they are lying about is that "large grocery stores to help fight obesity by paying fees on sodas and other beverages they sell". I know to the average socialist, this sounds good, the big corporation is going to be penalized for selling unhealthy things to the unawares public,..but, it won't make a dimes worth of difference to the supermarket. The increase from the tax is going to be passed on to the buying public.

Another lie:

If the bill is approved by the Board of Supervisors, money generated from the fee would go toward a city program that emphasizes exercise, diet and other preventative health measures.

Like every other tax that gets passed for some "specific" program, as soon as it starts to generate income, it will be (just till this other "emergency" crisis has passed) absorbed into the General Fund. If they are so worried about obesity, why is it that San Franfreako has the worst record on funding Phys Ed and after school sports?

I am in my mid fifties, I'm 6'2" and weigh 148 lbs. My boy (19) is 6'3"-160 Lbs., and my wife is "some age close to, but less than me", 5'9" and...let's just say she's well within the "normal" weight range. On a given day we may, each, drink anywhere from 0 to 8 cokes, depending on our sugar craving at the time, probably average about 3 per day over the long run. Do we get a rebate if we buy a soda in that city? Of course not, we should be overjoyed to pay some 5' 7", 300 lb. fatass's medical bills because they don't have the sense to cut back on their calories.

He ain't heavy, he's my brother. Well in this case, he is heavy, matter of fact, he's fuckin' fat and he ain't my brother, cousin or in-law, so I have no responsibility to pay his medical bills because they're to fucking lazy to take a stroll around the block 2 or 3 times a week.

It's Going To Be a LOOONNGG Week

I was off work yesterday and was suppose to be off today, but I got a phone call at 8:00 AM "requesting" my presents to cover the afternoon shift. I counter offered to split the shift (1-5) with the night guy which was accepted...except, could I come in at 11 AM because the foreman had to meet with someone off site.

Normally I don't mind a little OT, but one of the Operators is on vacation so to cover his shift I will be working 12 hour shifts (starting tomorrow) for the next 7 days. That means no Christmas Eve, no Christmas for me.

Work is getting better, we got a new injection well going this week, and it can actually take all the water we can throw at it. The problem now is getting producing wells that have been idle for around a year to work, so in a couple of days, we went from to much water to not enough. The more wells we have going, the easier it is to run the site, so here's hoping they got the three wells down due to electrical problems running yesterday.

I don't ask about these things when I'm off because I don't want to know until I drive through the gates. There's nothing I can do about it till I get there, and why start worrying before I have to deal with it. Some guys call before shift, hoping for an easy day, only to be disappointed. Why set yourself up to be in a bad mood before you need to? I prefer to let the bad mood creep on as the day progresses. At least I have a few hours of optimism to start the week.

If my posts start to get a little strange(er), it will most likely be fatigue setting in.

Why Johnny Can't Read

The wonderful LAUSD (Los Angeles School District)decided they needed a new computer system to issue payroll. The initial cost for this was 95 million dollars. Now see if this surprises anyone...the damn thing doesn't work!

The projected cost to fix it, 210 million dollars and they're not sure it will work then. So what does the district have to say?

From the L.A. Times Opinion:

LAUSD's unending payroll problem


The district's chief operating officer hopes, but can't promise, that it's fixed.
November 14, 2007

Confronted recently about L.A. Unified's exasperating payroll scandal, the district's chief operating officer acknowledged that, after nearly a year, he still can't promise that the problem is solved. "We have," he said, as if this would reassure, "a higher degree of confidence than ever before that we are accurate." That's an answer unworthy of a student, much less a leader. So, Supt. Brewer, yes, we expect more. But you have our sympathies as well.

Of course being they are going slightly over budget in a district that is scrounging for money to teach our children, they hire a PR firm for a couple of hundred thou to try to put a palatable spin on this debacle.

This comes right on the heels of the fraud they uncovered by administrators in procurement card purchases:

Follow-Up: LAUSD Credit Card Paper Trail
by David Goldstein

LOS ANGELES (CBS) ― This report is a follow-up to David Goldstein's riveting report from last week in which he exposed a myriad of abuses of procurement cards being used by LAUSD officials...including a $500 coffee maker.

"Did you have any idea they were spending upwards of $5 million a month on procurement cards?"

No, no!

Teachers Union President A.J. Duffy had no idea.

The necessary items to instruct the kids:

$995 for a mattress. Another $995 for a company that produces video games. $995 for flowers. We found charges for fishing tackle...stuffed animals...purchases at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Smart & Final and Trader Joes...Linens and Things. Millions and millions of dollars in charges.

I don't live "in" L.A., so it's not my property taxes paying for this FUBAR entity, but as long as I live on SoCal, I'm going to have to deal with whatever they manage to spit out after high school.

My animosity towards LAUSD goes back to when I did live and work in downtown L.A.

When I first started working in the "Old Los Angeles Oil Field", I was single and not making much. I rented a house from one of our customers in the middle of the barrio. About two blocks away (I could sit in my kitchen and the football games) was Belmont High School. This was a school built in 1923 for 500 students, today the student population is 5200. Think things might have been a little tight there?

To alleviate the overcrowding, the LAUSD bought out a shitload of houses, torn 'em down and started construction on the Belmont Learning Center. When about 60% complete, someone noticed the oil wells in the area (this would include the four the LAUSD owned plus another well they had to buy and re-drill to relocate). The project ground to a stop.

It wasn't safe for the chiilldreen!!

This was BS for many reasons. One being that they had put a vapor barrier and venting system under the school...and half the kids that would attend lived right there in the middle of the fracking oil field in houses that were built in the '30's and '40's. Doubt they considered any oil field gases back then. The kids would have been safer in school than in their own home.

As far as that newly discovered earthquake fault that runs under it, if you're right over it or 1/2 mile away...

Oh yeah, they've started work on the Learning Center again, it's just been 10 wasted years.

One major disappointment during the Belmont Learning Center fiasco was that I kept being called in by the state for my "expert" opinion on the status of the oil filed and the activist that was bitching about the whole thing was, you guessed already I bet, a Hollywierd celebratty. She could take what I said and twist it just a bit so that it sounded like I had said the complete opposite. When I'd insist that wasn't what I said, she'd insist that, yes, that's what I meant.

Ahh, well. She did play a Dr. on T.V.

Now That's Funny, I Don't Care Who You Are

I had "Red Eye" running in the background and happened to catch a story that just cracked me up.

A girl in Britain, in a show of life long devotion to her boyfriend, had his name tattooed on her belly in Chinese character. As luck would have it the romance didn't last, they broke up, and she decided to have the tattoo altered to say something else. When she went to have it altered, she found out the characters said "SUPERMARKET".

Outside of the fact that I believe there are very few people who will hold a belief, outside of "MOM" for their entire life, the idea of having some "Tattoo Artist" indelibly etch something into my skin in a foreign language without making sure it says what I thought it did...well stupid comes close.

In The Sprit Of The Season

I'm not very Merry Christmasy this year, but I do enjoy the season and the genuine good will that people adopt towards each other for these few weeks at the end of a year.

I can be a cheap, sarcastic, ill-tempered (the adjectives could go on) SOB most of the year, however, there is just something about Christmas and the New Year that softens my attitude...a little.

I ran into this video over at Hot Air and I it was the first thing to break me out of my normal foul mood and get me into remembering that most people have the capacity to be nice. These guys are good and I don't know how they could keep it all straight.

Enjoy. Merry Christmas, and a belated Happy Hanukkah to all my friends out there.

I Just Couldn't Connect

Ack!! The damn intertubey thing wouldn't work all yesterday. To bad for all my readers because, man, did I have some cutting, insightful opinions just screaming to be unleashed. I had the answers to immigration, the presidential race, and why, "when you decide"...after trying every variation of a product, this is the one I love and will use for the rest of my life, no matter the cost...they discontinue it.

My good mood passed, so now ya'll will have to wait for these answers until my disposition swings back that way. Let's see, I was in a good mood yesterday...so the next one should hit about November 2010.

Well November 2010, or when my RAIDERS win another Super Bowl, so I'd keep my hopes on 2010.

I didn't see it covered in the news, but I'm sure my being cut off from blogging was due to the severe cold snap currently hitting the area. Would you believe it was down to 45 degrees last night? Yeah, it's true forty-five degrees. I put on a jacket to step outside the front door and read the thermometer, so I know it's true. I'd heard it could get that cold, my parents told me it had been that cold before, but I was very young so I really don't remember. I think this childhood memory may be the reason for my deep-seated aversion to walking through the frozen food section of a supermarket (brrrr).

It's funny, but while I write this I find that I'm still in a good mood. I just don't think I'm gonna ruin the feeling by delving into deep subjects right now. Keep checking back, maybe if I hit one of those only half pissed off moods I'll give you the answers you seek.

“America Falling”

Book Review

“America Falling”
Don Brockette
Publisher: iUniverse
304 pages




If you’ve wondered what would happen in this country if it were hit by a series of terrorist attacks, this would be a good primer. Other revues have described this book as a roller coaster ride; I saw it more like riding a log flume. Starting out with a steep drop and not letting up until the end.

The hero, Elliot Cahill, is not just “an everyday guy who’s in the wrong place at the wrong time”, however, he is someone you can identify with and care about how he can save his family from the jihadi’s he’s managed to piss off.

The flume ride reaches near vertical in the final chapters with lots of heroic actions and tons of action.

Scale of 10: 8

-------------
My major complaint about this book would be directed at the publisher. I know they’re a small company that allows books like this to be published, but spell check and a proof reader would help. It hate reading something and going “What?”, then having to go back and interpret what they meant due to misspellings and such. It can really kill an exciting scene.

P.S. Thank you Mopes for a few hours of good, intense reading.

My Best Bud

See! I do have a friend.

This was taken a while long ago at one of my son's Little League games. We found Ralph there, he had been living there for about a week off the garbage cans full of half eaten hotdogs and such. Animal Control had tried for two days to catch him, but no luck. We had a black Lab at the time that we always brought to the games, and this dog just seemed to like her, or us and kept hanging close by. One night after a game, I decided I wasn't going to come back and hear how that poor Shepard got hit by a car yesterday, so we stayed till everyone else left and the lights went out in the park. It took about an hour and a half of sitting very still to get a rope around his neck, but second it was on, his attitude was "where we going and don't leave me behind."

He was dubbed Ralph because he had a look on his face that made you think that was what he was going to do. It started out as a joke, but it stuck.

From his reactions to certain people and things we "deduced" that his previous owner was a mean woman who kept him chained and would yank his ears for punishment. It took about 4 or 5 months before he was comfortable around my wife, my boy...no problem, he could roughhouse with him and it was play, if my wife tried to play, he'd just shy away. Leashes were just tolerated at first just because that meant going someplace. If you just gave a toying tug on his ears, for almost a year, he would yelp like you'd kicked him and he'd run away. He didn't like hugs for a long time either, always leaning away from you. These have all passed now and I hope his doggie brain has forgotten them completely. You can bear hug him, yank his ears all you want and the sound of a chain means road trip/walk.

For the next six years I never went anywhere without him. I was the Manager at work so I made the rules, and my dog became the unofficial mascot. Vacations, pet friendly motels were the rule. Weekend long family gatherings, if my dog isn't welcome, I won't be there.

Ralph is about 12 years old now and when I had to change jobs four years ago, he became a house dog. He's a lot wider now, but I still see him as that stray we found in a park so many years ago.

P.S. We have another hound, two cats and a bird, and I'm sure you are eager to hear how we "acquired" these misfits.

We Are So Anti-muslim

This was taken from the Rott. It was written by jaybear in response to muslims beating up gays in the netherlands.
-------------

Denial is strong in them, mein Emperor…..

I watched Flight 93 for the first time last night, I’ve avoided it for a long time as I just knew it would get me reeeealy pissed again. I was right…I’m reeeeealy pissed again. Then while listening to cnn this morning as I cooked breakfast, I heard the comment that the Annapolis peace talks are doomed to failure because the Arabs don’t trust The President…that all of his “Anti-Muslim” actions of the past 7 years have destroyed his credibility in that part of the world…..what anti-muslim actions do they mean? do they mean removing the taliban from power Afghanistan? or handing out toys and food to Iraqi children? or liberating their country and fighting the peace loving muslims that have killed them by the bushels full? or allowing muslims to practice their vile filthy religion in this country unimpeded and unrestricted?…..are THOSE the anti-muslim actions that they’re talking about?

Europe is done for, they’ve dismissed the lessons of 1917 and 1939, and they’re heading for a Dark Age that will make the atrocities of hitler look like so many parking tickets. From giant mosques next to the London Olympic complex to Theo Van Gogh getting stabbed by a muslim for his anti islam art to an English school teacher getting jailed for naming a teddy bear mohammed…..the march towards dhimmitude…nay…oblivion continues on. The cancerous parasites called muslims use our fear of them, and our fear of offending ANYONE against us. They know we will not speak out for fear of insulting them, so they keep beheading….and stabbing…and shooting…and raping…and mutilating…and exploding….and expanding…..expanding their black plague of submission and repression to every corner of the world…..and we in the west as a free, largely secular, tolerant society welcome them with open arms and subsidies and free passes to infect our culture with their pornographic delusions of paradise.

Since they are really into martyring themselves, we should encourage that…..with this stipulation, go ahead and buy your ticket into your heaven by blowing yourself up, only don’t you think it would be generous of you to do it in a swarm of your fellow practitioners of the sickness of islam? allah (arabic for child rapist) would surely smile on your selfless act of carrying swarms of your fellow muslims into paradise on your shoulders (or in little sandwich bags…depending on the size of the body parts).

Or we could make THIS announcement: any muslim who “martyrs” themselves, will…after the explosion….have his or her body parts collected and they will be processed into pig feed….that also goes for ANY muslim who is caught in the blast. Is that cold? is that insensitive? maybe so, but if muslims knew that they would be turned into pig poop, they might find it in their best interest to “discourage” these homicidal bastards……

It’s as plain as my shiny balding head that political correctness has retracted the nads of the ruling elite in the Netherlands. I would pose this solution to them: since Amsterdam is such a “gay friendly” city, why not open a few gay bars in the Muslim districts?…you know, just for inclusiveness’ sake….

To quote Rodney King: “Can’t we all just “hic” get along???….now give all of your money beeyotch “hic”"

Will They, or Won't They?

(will be updated if I wake up enough)
There are only four games being played this afternoon (1 PM PST). Now I would think that the Denver-Raiders game would be shown here on the left coast, but TV guide just says TBA.

I'm on graveyard, so I have to set my alarm to wake me up IN THE MIDDLE OF MY NIGHT to see if the game is on.

December Already

I can't believe we're in that last month of 2007. Just to try to get this holiday season off to a happy start, I'll just post a silly holiday song.


Merry Christmas everyone.