Creative Endeavors

As I am a firm believer that people come to this page to be uplifted, informed, amused and even to some respects, entertained.  I feel it would be doing those faithful readers of this page, a disservice to keep ranting about “my issues with WordPress.com” and I am going to put up something positive.

It does absolutely no good to rant about this, I am not going to keep diggin’ up a dead horse just to see if it smells bad.  If it walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, then most people would consider it to be a duck. I am going to keep tagging this stuff the way I want to tag it and hopefully it will be posted somewhere where folks might be able to see it.

As for it being “recent, random, life or whatever” I will allow the God’s to make that decision.  I am going to just keep taggin it the way I see it and the rest of it is now history.  So here you go because you are so special and they are not … two posts at 5:00 PM and Lord knows where they will go after we hit the publish button ……….

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Eight years ago, the 1,500 residents of the Kenyan village of Lwala sold chicken and cattle to raise $900 in airfare so that one their boys, Milton Ochieng, could enter Dartmouth College.  Today Milton is a graduate of Vanderbilt University Medical School and, along with his brother Fred, who followed him to both alma maters, he has repaid the favor by building a clinic in his home village.

People helping people, something you don’t seem to hear about much these days.

The brothers raised $150,000 for the clinic, which in its first year has seen 20,000 patients, most of them for free.  “It makes you feel great to be a doctor,” said Milton.  An amazing feat when you stop to consider that this all occurred in a third world country, not some Mega Super Power.

Fifty four years ago, Jan Zacharda lost her Ludington, Michigan, high school ring in the depths of Lake Micigan.  Last month she got a call from Robert Savage, who had found it with a metal detector.  Savage had actually discovered the ring some 12 years ago, but couldn’t locate its owner; though Zacharda’s class year, 1955, was clearly stamped on the ring.

Along with the initials “J.P.” for Jan Pedersen her maiden name.

But Savage recently got hold of the Ludington yearbook for the class of ‘55 and found only one name with the right initials.  He then began calling all the are Pedersen’s until he found one who knew Jan.  Kind of nice to know that there are still some honest people out there.

Not so smart file:  A sense of privilege, after a first-class passenger on a Delta Airline flight from New York became so angry that economy passengers were let off the plane ahead of him, that he opened an emergency hatch and slid down the chute!  The indignant passenger was promptly arrested.

The absolute best one that has come to my attention this week is the California woman who whipped out her .44 caliber Magnum and began firing at mice scurrying across the floor of her trailer.  A .44 Magnum, man, talk about “overkill” that is kind of unreal right there.

But wait … It gets better.

She drops the gun (more than likely reaching for another beer) and it fires a bullet that pieces her knee, bounces off a friends keychain, and grazes his groin before coming to rest in his coin pocket.  And people wonder what type of person lives in a Mobile home?

But wait, it gets even worse.  A diabetic Illinois woman is recovering after he dog chewed off her big toe!  (I am not making this up).  The 56 year old woman who suffers with numbness in her lower extremities says she dozed off in the afternoon (not an uncommon occurrence with diabetics) and her 1 year old miniature dachshund, Roscoe, (again I am not making this up), snuggled at her feet, starts gnawing on her foot.

When she awoke from the nap, and looked down, and saw Roscoe dining at the big toe buffet, she screamed!  At that time, her daughter ran into the room and discovered the dog munching away.  I believe her exact quote was:  “I didn’t think when I went in there I was going to see that..  It is hard to take in when you walk into a room and there’s a dog eating your Mom.”

Duh  — You think so?

It has been a somewhat interesting week, I could tell you about Hugh Hefner’s new book and how he describes choking on a sex toy and one of his well-endowed scantily clad roomies saving him.  But I cannot figure out an appropriate tag for something like that, so I am letting it slide for now.

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DON’T USE A RECENT TAG OR AN OKLAHOMA TAG IF YOU WANT YOUR POST READ, BOTH CATEGORIES ARE EATING POSTS AND WORDPRESS.COM SEEMS TO WANT TO DO NOTHING ABOUT IT.  POST IT SOMEWHERE ELSE ….

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: “If life is so good, then why is it, that we often feel so badly?”

What do teenagers of all income groups have in common? A love of money.  Once a year, the Harrison Group, a marketing consulting company in Connecticut, surveys 1,300 teenagers 13 to 18 across the U.S. about their financial attitudes. This year’s study included an in-depth look at those raised in affluent households, those with more than $150,000 in annual income.

Seventy percent of all the teens surveyed said they wanted more money. Half agreed that money “may not buy happiness, but it comes close.” And 34%, up from 29% in 2004, said “it is hard to be truly happy without a lot of money.”

Not surprisingly, teens raised in more-affluent households had distinctive spending habits and brand preferences. For example, more than 70% of them said they love luxury-car models such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Lexus.

The study also noted that “Inner-city kids are taught more about sex and drugs and violence than how to take care of money,” the article goes on to say. “The poor kids were fearful because they didn’t know how it (personal money management) worked, and they didn’t want to take risks.”

It appears that in America … “Wealthy people value time; poor people value stuff.”  In our case, Cup Cake and I, have too little of the first, and way too much of the second.

At the core of the problem, could be the message that we send our children.  Chicago’s public-school system recently has awarded a brand new car to a “12 year old girl, as a reward for her perfect school attendance record.” Now how sad is that?  She cannot legally drive the $15,000 Dodge Caliber for another four years, and critics question whether such lavish gifts send the wrong message to children.

Duh, you think so?

There are some schools of thought, at least my old man had one, and it was, “learning and achievement” were rewards in themselves.  If you can do simple math, if you are able to read this, then be thankful for your education.

Meanwhile the dork that runs the Chicago Public Schools said that this prize was a vital weapon in the fight against truancy and that they were not going to (ever) apologize for that.  My dad had a prize for truancy; it was called a trip to the woodshed.

Meanwhile out on the left-coast, a student at Tesoro High School in affluent Orange County, Kali-fornyuh, was charged with 69 criminal counts for allegedly hacking into the school computer and changing all of his bad grades to A’s.  When asked the reason for his criminal behavior the kid replied that he just wanted to make sure he got into a good college.

Back in the day, when I brought my report card home, and it was all A’s, I would be automatically suspect for sure.  Just didn’t happen.  I remember one day my Dad said, “What you get on your report card?” and I replied, “I dunno, I think it is a Full House … 3 D’s and 2 C’s.”

That dog didn’t hunt either.

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Olympia Washington has determined that 24 ounces of medical marijuana should be the two month supply for approved medical marijuana patients.  They had originally suggested “35″ ounces for a bi-monthly supply.  Now let me see, “16″ ounces in a pound right?

These guys must really be sick puppies.

Best not go skinny dippin’ in Wyoming this summer.  Officials there are reporting outbreaks of parasite-caused skin disorder in the area outside Boysen State Park.  The condition, also called swimmer’s itch, is caused by a worm like parasite that can burrow into the skin, causing a tingling, burning, itching sensations as well as small reddish pimples and blisters.

Talk about giving a totally new meaning to the phrase “off shore drilling” this is it boys & girls.  Now think about it, you are swimming totally nude in a lake, completely nakid as they say in Crawford Texas, and this thing decides to swim up your … man, talk about the eeeeck factor?

Find yourself a good book, get in the shade and sip some lemonade.  The price of diesel in this country continues to inch toward the $5 benchmark.  The oil companies seem to have effectively spread “Annal Glaucoma” across the land (This a new petroleum induced condition where you cannot see your butt going anywhere.  There seems to be no cure at the present time.  Sorry).

E-Mail of the week: 

So, I was talking to this little girl Catherine, the daughter of some friends, and she said she wanted to be President some day.   Both of her parents, liberal Democrats were standing there with us - and I asked Catherine - ‘If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?’

Catherine replied - ‘I would give houses to all the homeless people.’

‘Wow - what a worthy goal you have there, Catherine.’  I told her, ‘You don’t have to wait until you’re President to do that, you can come over to my house and clean up the entire dog poop in my back yard and I will pay you $5 dollars. Then we can go over to the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs out, and you can give him the $5 dollars to use for a new house.’

Catherine (who was about 4) thought that over for a second, while her mom looked at me seething,and Catherine replied, ‘why doesn’t the homeless guy come over and clean up the dog poop and you can just pay him the $5 dollars?’

And I said, ‘Welcome to the Republican Party’.

Things are getting bad, Nevada Brothels are reporting that the truckers are not stoppin and the brothel owners are get this, offering gas cards and other promotions after seeing business decline.  Now if you are a hooker in a brothel, what possible kind of “other promotions” could you have to offer?

Business is down some 25% since a year ago.  They may have to hold a yard sale or something, get yo’ camera ready Art! (Art is our 911-highly-mobile-Reno-Correspondent)

Burger King (in the U.K.) this week served up burgers made of Wagyu Beef and enhanced with white truffles and shallot-infused mayonnaise.  The proceeds from the $190 burgers went to the charity Help a London Child.  No word on how much the “barf bags” were which surely would have been necessary after eating this concoction of whatever it was?

So another win/win situation.  Some poor sucker purchases this thing and gets a “charity write off” on his taxes, Burger King gets “worldwide free advertising” and finally, I suppose someone gets a bonus for dreaming up this farce.

I knew it would happen, I just knew, before the week was over, I would hear of some idiot doing something dumb on the 4th of July.  Here it is.

“A Alabama man is in jail tonight after setting off fireworks inside his apartment. The fireworks set the building on fire and caused extensive damage to the ten-unit building.”

Investigators say 25-year-old Shawn Dennis suffered several burns and was treated at a local hospital, before he was arrested and charged with arson. “Dennis is now in the County Jail where he’s being held on $5,000 cash bail.”

Isn’t it wonderful when a man decides to celebrate July 4th like everybody else, with fireworks.

Of course, most people don’t set off the fireworks inside their apartment.  You really have to have a sense of humor to live in the South.

No really.

Have A Great Weekend.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: If you live in the State Of Oklahoma … “At all times, wear your dentures, and never wave at the Video Camera.”

Woke up this morning, feeling absolutely terrible, stuck my finger and the sugar is out of sight again, digits are snake-bit high ….. No wonder I feel hammered. But boy the Fried Rice and the Almond Cookies last night, they were really good.  Today I have to pay the price.

As I understand it, motorists are still in trouble.  Earlier I reported that more and more folks are being towed in by wrecking services now with the rising price of fuel. AAA reports that tow-ins are increasing, as American’s are buying less motor fuel and leaving their tanks close to empty. AAA has reported a “doubling of calls” from stranded motorists needing a tow.

Some media outlets are reporting people pawning off personal items, in order to purchase fuel. Theft of some metals is up nationwide, and the scrap business has reached new highs. Forget the pawnshops, you may have a good source of extra cash right there in your own home.

Young audiophiles are rediscovering vinyl records, which many deem to have “better sound and quality” over CD’s and MP3 players. Artists such as Elvis Costello and Radio-head are releasing alums on vinyl, and sales of turntables have spiked about 500% every year for the past four years. Even my own grandson (14 yrs old) came over the other day and raided a box of old wax out in the garage and took several home with him.

So dust off that Arrow Smith, Pure Prairie League and The Dead, if you can bare to part with them, you could be sitting on a Goldmine. I would be willing to part with just about most all of it except my Lawrence Welk Remembers Woodstock Album, that is a keeper, I cannot sell that one.

A pack of smokes in New York has gone to $10 per pack ($100 a carton) yesterday as they again applied a sin tax to some poor sucker. The new plan in New York is to have the weak and the addicted take care of the majority I guess.

Why people continue to smoke at these prices amazes me, pack of Marlboro’s is over $4 in Oklahoma now. Having given up smoking some twelve years ago, I took a calculator and figured out my daily consumption rates on tobacco. Then I took the current price of a pack of Marlboro’s (my smoke of choice, which is now over $4.77 per pack) doing the math as my daddy used to say, it appears that someone owes me about $31,400 to be exact.

Where did the money go? I wonder why I don’t have that exact amount in my change drawer or a secret account at the bank?  I had this friend, a guy, who didn’t smoke.  He was adamant about it, he would not allow anyone to step inside his apartment that smoked.  But if he met some chick he wanted to bed, he would allow her to barbecue a goat in the living-room!

Not long ago, I asked this cute little girl, why in the world was she smoking. She said that it helped with her weight problem. Which I suppose is correct. In the end, it will cure your weight problems; smoking will cure ALL of your problems eventually.

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Listening to Oldies on Internet Radio, going back in time, such a sweet thing, a luxury now.  It was a quiet time, and I felt I would be alright, I didn’t have to wake up each and every morning and worry about what is going to happen today.

You see it your way and I see it my way, here in my heart I give you the best of my love, the benefit of my extended thought processes and good intentions.

Wouldn’t it be good if you could somehow locate a playlist from June of ‘65 or that period of time.  That would be a trip, I might have to do that this week.

Life was pretty good in ‘65 as I remember it. (It might also pay to note here, that the sixties were especially good to me, and I don’t remember a lot of it, but what I do, well, that was okay.)

What a regimen.

Take my call, go to the yard, mount up on the beast and head out of town … another day on the road. A lover and a fighter, a dirty old freight train rider. The major emphasis was on “chasing the buck, making the almighty dollar, putting some grub on the table and buying the essentials for the good life.”

Not like it is today. I could sleep well with the backdoor unlocked, didn’t need a locking gas cap on my truck, security lights, my fellow drivers waved at me with all their fingers. Not like it is today. Today things are a lot different, it is a whole new ballgame, but strangely, it remains the same, if you can follow that line of thinking.

Bought some gas this morning, now that was a real bummer. My money, much like yours, isn’t even slowing down when it gets to me anymore. One of these days I fully expect to hear my banker say, “I am sorry, but your collateral is insufficient for your loan on two packs of Twinkies, and we have to decline you at this time, sorry.”

Yeah, you sure are.

Here I sit all dirty and dusty from trying to rub my Charcoal Briquettes together and start our backyard barbecue (I cannot afford starter fuel anymore). We are having burgers, with hamburger helper, added to the hamburger helper, no chips. Kool-Aid to wash it all down, or as they used to refer to it in the service, “bug juice.”

Things are getting so tight, that even the Mexican’s are now on the move.  Like the tide, it appears that they will come and go with the ebb of the economy.  According to informal surveys by the Mexican consulate in Dallas, most of those wanting to return to Mexico cite the sudden scarcity of jobs, fear of deportation and uncertainty about obtaining legal resident status any time soon.

But others think that immigrants returning to their countries won’t hurt the U.S. economy. “The country’s economy adjusted to the immigrants’ presence. No doubt it will adjust to their absence,” said Ira Mehlman, national spokesman for FAIR, an organization opposed to illegal immigration. “That these people are leaving proves what we have been saying for years,” he said. “If you begin enforcing the law to prevent them getting what they come here to get, they will go.”

According to the article, as the moment to leave came, José Luis Sánchez and his family didn’t have an idea of the Mexico awaiting them. From their family, they expect everything. From their home country, not much. “We’re going to continue living by the day, for sure,” he said. “But psychologically we’re going to be better. With our family, without fears, without pressures. It’s worth the difficulties.”

And, he added, “The American Dream is just that – a dream.”

Mexicans that are staying are sending less money home.  Mexico’s central bank said remittances from Mexicans working abroad fell some 2.6% in the first five months of 2008.  A vastly slowed down economy, immigration “enforcement” have led to the downturn of funds leaving the U.S.A.  There goes Mexico’s virtually cost free second economy or source of foreign income.

Now let’s see if they can “complete globally like the rest of us?  On a shrinking dollar that is worth less than twenty five cents.”

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On this day, Independence Day, I can think of nothing more appropriate than the “English Only” issue and the erosion of the American Lifestyle. Thirty states now have laws specifying that official government communications be in English. It is a start and it is multiplying tremendously, but it still needs to get done, it needs to be officially instituted and put into working order. We need to keep stoking the firebox on this issue, and get up a good head of steam and take it to Washington DC.

Some folks believe that this issue sends a hostile message to newcomers. It just poisons the atmosphere in local communities. Not so. Studies out have proven conclusively that newcomers that learn the language fare much better than those that hold onto the language of where it is they came from.

All this politically correct non-sense, catering to illegals, pandering to Mexicans and accepting Spanish as a second language, is not good for this country.  A word to the newcomers.  It is also not good for America to try and change it into some satellite clone of the country of your origin.

In a way it does poison the country, it is detrimental to the American Lifestyle and our way of life, it is in fact, “Anti American.”

Ohio approved a bill making English the official language. Oklahoma is working on it. Missouri will decide this fall on an amendment to their constitution.

I don’t give two hoots in you know where what you talk about in your own home, I don’t give a flying whatever the language you use, but when it comes to government, official business, you need to be speaking English.

You want to live here, then the first word you need to learn is “Assimilate” which means to blend in, focus on what everyone around you is speaking.

If you don’t consider this important or just another rant, consider this. You are lying prostrate on the ground, you have a searing burning in your chest and left arm, you tell the person looking down at you, “I have pills in my pocket (for your heart) you beg them ….. please …..”

Now do you want some foreigner standing there looking at you like a calf who is looking a new gate for the first time … Or … Do you want someone who speaks English.

Thought so.

Laws never cover everything, but in this case, they should be covering voter rights, driver’s lic., zoning forms and day to day activities in this country. It is time … High time … we all get on the same page about this issue. This country has been around over 230 years, and it was all done on ONE LANGUAGE and that is the bottom line, that is where the rubber meets the road.

Washington needs to wake up and smell the coffee. Thirty states are now saying … We want this. 19 others have pending legislation; it is time to do something about this.

Enjoy your Fourth of July, they may be numbered “Amigo’s.”

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Related:

• Sneaking Into America (audio)
  
• I Have A Problem
• Charlie Daniels For President
• Lamm On Immigration
• Border Xrossing
• El Grande Mexico
• Si Habla This
• Box Is Full
• Mi Casa - Su Casa
• They’re still coming
  

Just the facts M’mam, just the facts. Myrtle Beach, Florida, police are searching for a man who borrowed a vehicle to buy crack cocaine then stole the car, according to a police report. A woman told police she met the suspect in the parking lot of the Admiral Inn last week. After a 20-minute conversation, the victim allowed the suspect to take her 2008 Kia Spectra to buy crack cocaine, the report states.

The suspect told the victim he would give her some cocaine in exchange for letting him borrow the vehicle, the report states. The suspect told the victims he would return the car the following night but didn’t. The victim told police that the suspect was from North Carolina and was accompanied by two prostitutes when he took the vehicle. Man, I read the word “suspect” so many times in that piece, I thought it was written by a cop!

Two drunks were sitting on the curb and they were arguing. One looking up said, “I tell ya, that is the moon up there.” And the other one said, “Naw, you are wrong, that is the sun.” So they both agreed, “We will ask the next guy who comes by.”

A short while passes and a crack head walks up and the first drunk says to him, “Hey Buddy? Is that the sun or the moon up there?” The little crack head takes a big pull on his pipe, looks up at the sky and then says ……… “Uh, I dunno? I don’t even live around here man.”

Women in a northern Malaysian city ruled by conservative Islamists are being urged by the city’s authorities to forsake bright lipstick and noisy high-heels “to preserve their dignity and avoid rape”.  Pamphlets have been distributed recommending that Muslim women shun heavy makeup and loud shoes.

In Oklahoma women have another system, they don’t dress that way and they hang out at Buffet’s instead of bars. Pretty safe bet no one is gonna find them there. And to further protect, Oklahoma has a law for it. It is illegal in the state of Oklahoma for a person to have sex with a buffalo. Yeah, I know, you think I am putting you on.

Law Summary It is illegal for the owner of a bar to allow anyone inside to pretend to have sex with a buffalo.

�37-537.2. Briefly it sez …. No owner, operator, partner, manager, or person having supervisory control of any establishment licensed to sell or serve intoxicating beverages shall permit any of the following on or about any commercial premises where intoxicating beverages are dispensed or consumed:

1. The performance by any person of acts, or simulated acts, of sexual intercourse, or any sexual acts which are otherwise prohibited by law; Any person to perform acts of, or acts which simulate, sexual acts which are prohibited by law, or permit any person to use artificial devices or inanimate objects to depict any prohibited activities or permit the showing of films, still pictures, electronic reproductions or other visual reproductions depicting any of the prohibited activities described in this paragraph.

Kinda nice to know you are being protected, isn’t it?  Now you know why they filmed “Dancing With Wolves” in South Dakota.

Okay I tried it. Alternative Transportation. I took a city bus downtown the other day to the VA and it is nine miles, and it only took 47 minutes and one dollar. There must be a better way. I guess I could have gone faster, but the bus operator told me it was “illegal” to leave the bus while it was still moving.

You are what you eat. At the Nevada State Fair in 2004, volunteers attempted to set a record for the world’s largest burrito. Ingredients consisted of 8,200 tortillas, 2,000 lbs of refried beans, and 1,000 pounds each of sour cream, cheese, and salsa.

The finished product was a mile and one-half long, and totaled about 8,433,200 calories. That would be enough calories to feed the average person for about eleven years. It also produced enough gas to run the entire city of Reno, Nevada for approximately 28 days.

A new report in Arizona has shed some interesting light on the existence of UFOs. According to KNXV of Phoenix, firefighters have been trained to handle UFO sightings and landings. The guidelines are listed in the Fire Officer’s Guide to Disaster Control. The book has an entire chapter on the subject called “Enemy Attack and UFO Potential” and lists possible scenarios for UFO encounters and even how to treat injured aliens.

And you thought today was going to be a boring day?

Beam me up Scottie, no intelligent life here.

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RELATED:  UFO Blather

The wind is out of the south, like a blast furnace has suddenly fired up on the north side of Dallas and it has all blown an ill wind to my side of town. Hot here, and it is heating up as summer approaches. It was so hot here today, I saw a dog chasing a cat, and they both were walking.

Which just reminded me, only a few days and it will be July. The wheat is in, time to kick back, a holiday. Watermelon, potato salad, fried dead cluckers, and the Fourth of July, an American tradition.

Unfortunately it also brings another year of Oklahoma idiot news reports of dumb-bells blowing up tomato’s and assorted large items of fruit to point out the dangers of fireworks. Mini-documentary Videos of Okies buying the stuff, and then having the Oklahoma City Fire Marshall confiscate it when they cross the county line, happens every year. So you tell me, has there ever been documented proof of anyone “actually eating a sparkler?”

Give me a break.

A 21 year old tanning salon operator in Connecticut has been arrested and given two years probation for taking photo’s of teenagers in a tanning salon thru a ceiling tile in the roof. He did this with a cellphone (reach out, reach out, and bug somebody!), he told the judge that he was up there crawling in the overhead, using his cellphone as a light, to inspect wiring. (Yeah I know, and they walk amongst us, and they also procreate.)

Checking the wiring? Uh huh, sure. That is like, “in case of a water landing, your seat cushion will become a floatation device.” I believed that one too.

In case you’re interested, there is a way where you can figure out if you are living next to one of these perverts. You just go to Felonspy.com . After you type in your address, it pinpoints all the people close to your home that have been convicted of ANY felonies. Then you just click on the red pins/balloons on the map and it gives you the offenders name, age, and felony offense.

And don’t go typing my address in there that is not funny, and yes, the “pictures at the Post Office” have come down.

Trucking companies in Arizona are saying that thieves are stealing diesel fuel out of the trucks while the drivers are sleeping with “high volume pump devices.” This was formerly known as a garden hose back in the old days, now as we are in the 21^st Century this has been changed to “high volume devices.” Here is a novel idea, buy some locking gas caps. Yawn.

My Daddy used to say on the annual trek back to Oklahoma in the 50’s and 60’s. He said he could always tell when he was getting close to Oklahoma. The wife would get bitchy, the kids started fighting in the car, and he had the urge to siphon some gas.

Back in the good ol’ days, eh?

Truckers and fisherman in the E.U. are up in arms and protesting the rising costs of fuel oil, organizing protests and objecting vocally to rising inflation. American’s are doing what they are best at, which is sitting back and complaining, mostly to each other.

Obammers’ wife (Michelle) was on the view and she said that “our souls are broken and we have become a nation of struggling folks who are barely making it each day.” A pretty bleak, not very optimistic picture of the country. This is from a woman who has a successful career in law, hospital management, and along with her husbands’ income, pulls down roughly a cool half a million a year.

As Joey on Friends would say ……. “How U doin’?”

I would like to have a shot at a yearly income like that. Just one year. But she can still find time to complain about piano lessons, summer camp for her kids and paying off her student loans. Now that takes talent, being able to portray yourself as an elitist and a victim at the same time, but she pulled it off.

81.5% of the people you ask will tell you “We are on the wrong track, and things is bad man, really bad.” The public mood in this country is like a carton of eight day old milk left out on the kitchen counter, kind of sour right now. With the high price of gasoline, this debacle in Iraq, people are not all that upbeat. I believe the exact quote I heard last was something about “going to hell in a hand-basket?”

Unemployment isn’t all that bad, 5.5% that isn’t terrible, not good, but not terrible. Living standards from a historical viewpoint are the best they have been in recent years, things are, believe it or not, pretty good. But when you turn on the television, “the sky is falling … the sky is falling” and the mood is mostly somber.

I have been kind of concerned about it myself Michelle. (Some guy just the other day sent me an email that said, I sure wish you would stop whining about all this ______ .)

There is truly going to be a void in America (finally). With Bush departing, who am I going to blame for Global Warming (he pulled us out of the Kyoto Treaty) then there is the terrorism thing (that mostly did not happen), instability in the oil producing countries, oops, excuse me, “the middle east.” This invasion thing, supporting Israel, and/or pillaging the resources of the planet on an untold scale.

What I am going to do, with Bush gone, where will be my simplistic worldview of things and the good ol boy foolish smirk, who am I going to blame all of this on after he loads up and heads for Texas.

Luckily for me, the Obammer star is on the horizon and it is shining down on me.

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Talk about squeezing every penny at the gas pump. Denver police say clerks at a gas station had a run-in with a man who insisted on using $10 worth of pennies to prepay for his fuel on Thursday…. More and more, I am seeing the clerks in the store taking the brunt of this, and it just isn’t fair.

They are not the problem, they do not set the prices, and they get all the ___ . Just isn’t right. People are wound a little tight here lately, so they take it out on the poor slob who is working the counter at the convenience store, and that should not be happening.

Sadly I am reading where more and more people are being arrested for shoplifting food. With the economic turn-down and the high price of motor fuel coming into play, people are getting desperate it seems. And then again, there is the ludicrous. Also read an article where people are actually giving up their “Starbucks” addiction and getting off their lazy A** and making their own coffee at home.

Now that is a sacrifice huh?

The “latte effect” of the go-go years had consumers spending $4 a day on coffee. Now the downturn is forcing them to rethink the wisdom of such habits. The makers of SPAM (not the email kind) are reporting near record profits this year, as American’s try and stretch their food dollars.

Meanwhile back at the ranch. Not long ago a 72 year old man was sentenced to 18 months in prison by an Oklahoma City Judge. He had robbed a bank of $560 in cash with a toy pistol. The man told the judge that he had just run out to the end of his string, and he had to do something. He had been taking care of his 90 year old mother, and the bills kept piling up and he didn’t have any money.

He was trying desperately to keep her out of a nursing home and had been taking care of her for over four years, while he himself, lived in a veteran’s home. He had applied to 29 jobs only to be rejected and he finally landed employment delivering pizza, only to be fired, when he failed to locate the address on one delivery. He told the judge, that was the last straw, and that is when he robbed the bank and got apprehended.

You know, it is a sad thing.

We can spend $100 billion dollars a year in Iraq to keep a bunch of vermin in the Middle East alive and basically unhappy. We can spend $3.2 billion to send a probe to Mars and beyond, to take fuzzy pictures and send them back. But an old man and an old lady in Oklahoma, we let them starve too death. Hard times have arrived and printing useless Federal money 24/7 isn’t going to make it go away.

There has to be something wrong here somewhere, y’know what I mean? There is your legacy Dubya, you were wondering, well it too has arrived.

000

Man, we need some leadership in this country, where is Collin Powell when you really need him. What was that guys’ name down in Texas, the one with the big ears, kind of looked like a Taxi Cab with the doors open?

Bush who just two years ago, told us that he was going to do something about our apparent “addiction to oil” so his solution is to go over there and beg for EVEN MORE of the stuff. Yeah, that sounds like an energy plan to me.

It’s almost comical in some respects; we are treating this national malaise like a drug dealer? You need some more, I will get you some more, that is what you need, you need more, you don’t need to get straight, here, let me ease your pain. I will lower the price of your addiction, and then my buddies will start drilling in Yellowstone.

Yeah, that will work.

Kind of like Getz, the New York City subway vigilante, he would look at his victims and say … “You don’t look like you are hurting all that bad to me, you can take another.” And then he would pump another round into them.

You ever heard of a “heat seeking missile?”

These items of High-Tech-military hardware were all over the news at one time; don’t hear much about them these days. Well, it got me to thinking … I am going to develop a “Bi-Partisan BS Seeking Missile.” It will seek out obvious sources of BS and then take them out with the efficiency of a Smart Bomb.

The New Rambo of the Prairie, The Chuck Norris of the Red Lands … Just flick the switch, to the on position, point it in an easterly direction and whoosh ……. What (or who) do you think it will take out first?

So listen up boys! Consider yo’self warned … We now have our own WMD’s in The Heart Land (Hey? They lied about it we can too) …

If you get on TV and say something stoopid like …. “My fellow Amerikuns, don’t go skinny dippin’ with Turtles.” ….

Well look out … Incoming!

000

Bushwhacked