Our Government Leaders' Priority

The U.S. should stop arresting responsible marijuana users, Rep. Barney Frank said Wednesday, announcing a proposal to end federal penalties for Americans carrying fewer than 100 grams, almost a quarter-pound, of the substance.

Almost a quarter-pound of the substance. That's now - in two years they will come back and want to increase it to one pound. Then two, and so on and so on.



Responsible users? And the definition of that is?

Current laws targeting marijuana users place undue burdens on law enforcement resources, punish ill Americans whose doctors have prescribed the substance and unfairly affect African-Americans, said Frank, flanked by legislators and representatives from advocacy groups.

You think your health care program has problems now? Just wait!!

Unfairly affect African-Americans? In what way?

The vast amount of human activity ought to be none of the government's business," Frank said on Capitol Hill. "I don't think it is the government's business to tell you how to spend your leisure time."

The vast amount of human activity ought to be none of the government's business? Someone needs to tell that to the government then.

The agency and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy have long opposed marijuana legalization, for medical purposes or otherwise.

Marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning it has a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use, according to the drug control office.

"Smoked marijuana has not withstood the rigors of science -- it is not medicine and it is not safe," the DEA states on its Web site.

"Legalization of marijuana, no matter how it begins, will come at the expense of our children and public safety.

That's OK, by the time anyone wakes up to the fact the children and public safety are affected, we will have made cocaine and heroin legal for responsible users.

It will create dependency and treatment issues, and open the door to use of other drugs, impaired health, delinquent behavior, and drugged drivers."

Delinquent behavior, and drugged drivers!!! We need more of that in this country!

Being arrested is not the American marijuana smoker's only concern, said Bill Piper of the Drug Policy Alliance Network. Those found guilty of marijuana use can lose their jobs, financial aid for college, their food stamp and welfare benefits, or their low-cost housing.

Is breaking the law by using marijuana the only thing that will cause losing jobs, financial aid for college, food stamp and welfare benefits, or low-cost housing?

If it is, then what we really need is more of the vast amount of human crime being the government's business.


Time and time again the voters have rejected this notion, but time and time again it keeps coming back. The majority speaks and no one listens.

I don't know about you, but with all the issues we have going on here in the U.S. right now, I don't take comfort in the fact our politicians are spending time on this.

This country is so far gone I wonder if it can ever be sane again?

EmBARKING Into Politics

Not that I don't think dogs are more intelligent than most people but:

Labrador Runs for Mayor in Alabama

No that's not a person's name running for mayor it is a real Labrador.

FAIRHOPE, Ala. - One of the candidates in the race to become Fairhope's next mayor is considerably more hairy than the rest.

He also has twice as many legs and a constantly wagging tail.

Wille Bean Roscoe P. Coltrane is a 7-year-old yellow Labrador retriever whose owner has taken a satirical poke at politics by launching the pooch into the race.

The good thing about electing a dog like Wille Bean Roscoe P. Coltrane you could rest assured he wouldn't have any skeletons in his closet because he would have eaten them all.

I wonder if he is running as a laberal?

Wille Bean is not the first dog to run for office.

In 2004, Rabbit Hash, Ky., elected Junior Cochran, a black Lab, as mayor.

It was the second canine elected to lead the small Northern Kentucky town, according to the town's Web site.

The first was a mutt named Goofy Borneman.

Is this a southern thing?

Do you think the voters are aware labs are easily bribed just like every other politician?

You have to wonder if he has any pet projects and how much the taxpayer would be spending on pork.

He will have the dog days of August to campaign.

If he wins, he promises to increase the number of the town's fire hydrants ten fold.

He will go from business to business, greeting everyone everyday, and of course looking for contributions.

One of the issues his campaign managers are trying to hide is he likes to go out howling late at night with the ladies of the evening and they are afraid the voters may hear of his numerous escapades.



Wille Bean hopes the vote does not come down to a difference of just one vote because he knows there is at least one vote he is not going to get.

Well there you have your dose of politics for the day.

Time Out

Well, once again I have a mental block and have nothing enlightening to post on here today. Yeah yeah, mental, I know I know. Take a peek back tomorrow to see if my brain is working.

Flying High Now

Fly me to the moon, let me play among the stars, let me know what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars.



Wannabe astronauts willing to shell out big bucks are about to come one step closer to realizing their dream.

On Monday, Virgin Galactic will unveil part of a top-secret project that could be the start of a new era in space tourism.


British billionaire Sir Richard Branson and American aerospace designer Burt Rutan are due Monday to show off their mothership, which is designed to air launch a passenger-toting spaceship out of the atmosphere.

It is designed to launch a passenger-carrying spaceship out of the Earth's atmosphere.

Aerospace engineers have been holed up in a Mojave Desert hangar for four years, fashioning a commercial spaceship to loft rich tourists some 62 miles above Earth. Now the wraps come partially off the top-secret project.

Space tourism advocates hope it will climax with the first suborbital joy rides by the end of the decade.

More than 250 wannabe astronauts have paid $200,000 or put down deposits for a chance to float weightless for a mere five minutes.

The risk associated with space flight is you never know who you might run into.



Former NASA astronaut Edgar D. Mitchell, shown in 1972, claims that Earth has been visited by aliens and that governments have covered up contact with aliens for more than 60 years.


Mitchell claimed the infamous 1947 incident in Roswell, N.M., where several people saw an alien spacecraft crash, did in fact happen.

I think Edgar may be confusing the alien with the boogie man.

I well remember the boogie man.

The boogie man has no specific appearance but it is just an amorphous embodiment of terror.

Should you lay down the scratch for the flight, keep a keen eye out.

Week In Review

Wow, here I am back to Friday again and I don't have anything memorable to put on here today.

Oh wait, there was a breaking news story about how gas dropped a penny a gallon.

Another one about Obama going to the Middle East so he can try to speed learn about foreign policy.

Not to be left out was John McCain mixing up countries, Shiites and Sunnis, and even confusing one NFL team for another.

Then there was President Bush. After asking his audience to turn off their video cameras, he proceeds to tell the crowd during a fundraiser in Texas that Wall Street "got drunk and now it's got a hangover." Big surprise someone kept a camera running, and the video hit YouTube.

What about the two billionaires who are pooling funds to fight smoking.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg have committed $375 million toward efforts to support projects that raise tobacco taxes, help smokers quit, ban tobacco advertising and protect nonsmokers from exposure to smoke.

To a lot of you, and myself included, that idea is good except supporting projects that raise tobacco taxes is just plain wrong.

You may remember the New Yorker magazine cover with Obama and his wife.



Now Vanity Fair magazine has their McCain and wife cover to counter.



It features John McCain and his wife in a similar Oval Office setting. He's using a walker and she's cradling an armful of prescription pill bottles.

Then there was this little tidbit:

Air Force Missile Launch Crew Fell Asleep

In yet another unfortunate misstep by the Air Force this year, three ballistic missile crew members fell asleep on the job while holding classified launch code devices.

It turns out the probe found that the missile launch codes were outdated and remained secure at all times.

That does beg the question, if a launch was called for and if the codes were outdated, even if you woke them up there would be a failure to launch.

As if we don't have enough problems with the price of fuel, we have a huge fuel oil spill that shuts Mississippi River.

More than 400,000 gallons of fuel oil spilled into the Mississippi River around New Orleans Wednesday after a chemical tanker and a fuel barge collided overnight. The Coast Guard closed a 29-mile stretch of the river as crews scrambled to contain the spill. Here, tug boats hold up the barge, which split in half.

You know that breaking news story about the price of gas dropping a penny? Well this will cause it to go up a nickle.

That's it for this week, enjoy the weekend.

Ol' Henry

Since the price of gas is the major topic of conversations these days and following up to yesterday's post, let's investigate further.

Our dependence on oil products can be traced back to one man that had the most impact on our lust for oil.

That one man, 100 years ago (1908-2008) changed the way people lived and live now.

Who was that man you ask, it was Henry.

If a mere $825.00 was within your budget the world would open up for you.

(The Ford Model T colloquially known as the Tin Lizzie and also the Flivver)

That's right, Ol' Henry started our dependence with an economy model that got 25 miles to the gallon.

The first production Model T Ford was assembled at the Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit on October 1, 1908.

Over the next 19 years, Ford would build 15,000,000 automobiles with the Model "T" engine, the longest run of any single model apart from the Volkswagen Beetle.

The nice thing about Henry is he offered you a car in any color you wanted as long as it was black.

Henry Ford said of the vehicle:



I will build a car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to run and care for. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one-and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God's great open spaces.

The Model T was the first automobile mass produced on assembly lines with completely interchangeable parts, marketed to the middle class.

The standard four-seat open tourer of 1909 cost US$850 when competing cars often cost $2000-$3000; in 1913, the price dropped to $550, and $440 in 1915. Sales were 69,762 in 1911, 170,211 in 1912, 202,667 in 1913, 308,162 in 1914, and 501,462 in 1915. In 1914, an assembly line worker could buy a Model T with four months' pay.

By the 1920s, the price had fallen to $300 because of increasing efficiencies of assembly line technique and volume. Henry employed vertical integration of the industries needed to create his cars.

He specified how to make the wood crates that outside suppliers used to ship him parts. Then he disassembled the crates and used the preformed wood pieces in the bodies of his cars. He also used wood scraps to make charcoal and sold it under the brand name "Kingsford," still a leading brand of charcoal.

By making and selling charcoal he increased the need for the average person to have a car so they could load up the kids and go to grandma's house and barbecue.

And that my friends is how it all happened.

Economic Nightmare

Just like all of you, I cringe every time I have to stop at the gas pump to fill up the old family wagon.



Like everyone else trying to save on gas, I decided it was time to car shop.

Check out some of the economy models I found.

GEM Car
Cost: $7,000 to $13,000
Charge time: 6-8 hours; Range: 30-40 miles
Top speed: 25 mph



The GEM car, from Chrysler's Global Electric Motorcars division, is more typical of what's available to today's average consumer.


Dynasty iT Sedan
Cost: $14,000 to $25,000
Charge time: 6 hours; Range: 30 miles
Top speed: 25 mph



Right now, Dynasty has only a few cars available in the U.S., but more should be available once factory production is up and running again.


ZENN
Cost: $16,000
Charge time: 6-8 hours; Range: 30-50 miles
Top speed: 25 mph



Its maker, ZENN Motor Company Inc., claims its energy efficiency is equivalent to a gasoline-powered car getting 245 miles per gallon.


Zap Xebra
Cost: $11,700
Charge time: 6 hours Range: 25 miles
Top speed: 40 mph


Technically speaking, the Xebra isn't a car. That's because it has only one front wheel, which makes it a motorcycle even though it can amazingly seat up to four. And you can get it with leather seats and a CD player.

I'm partial to the Zap Xebra because it has some real speed, leather seats and a CD player.

Maybe it's an age thing but actually it is classified as a motorcycle, so if I had one of those I could make the Sturgis motorcycle run with all the Harley riders.

The Sturgis run is full of friendly people.



The Zap Xebra seats four so the wife and the dogs could cruise along with me.

I think I'll see if the dealer will let me drive it to Reno to see how it handles so if I like it I can plan the Sturgis run since gas money will be no object.

Geez I forgot to see if they had air conditioning and power windows as the wife is spoiled for those creature comforts.

In God And The U.S. Mail We Trust

Wow, Friday I bashed a reverend, Monday I bashed the Pope, and now I'm at a loss as to where to go next. I suspect it may be hotter there.

Let me try to redeem myself.

Here is a little something a friend shared with me so I think now is a great time to pass it on to all of you.

It's been reported that 86% of Americans believe in God.

Therefore, we have a very hard time understanding why there's such a mess about having 'In God We Trust' on our money and having God in the pledge of Allegiance.

Could it be that WE just need to take action and tell the 14% to 'sit down and shut up?'

Here is a great idea.

Payback is fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!


WRITE IT ON THE BACK OF YOUR ENVELOPES AND PACKAGES

Including Bills

You may have heard in the news that a couple of Post Offices in Texas have been forced to take down small posters that say 'IN GOD WE TRUST.' The law, they say, is being violated.

It's time to take matters into our own hands. We should all write 'IN GOD WE TRUST' on the back of all our mail.

After all, that's our National Motto, and it's on all the money we use to buy those stamps.

What a great idea.

We must take back our nation from all the people who think that anything that offends them should be removed.

If you like this idea, why not start today?

If you really want to make it easy, you can have an ink hand stamp made so all you have to do is put your stamp and the U.S. postal stamp on your mail and send out your message worldwide.

Pope's Propaganda

Pope Urges Youths to Spurn Materialism

SYDNEY, Australia -- Pope Benedict XVI said Sunday a "spiritual desert" was spreading throughout the world and he challenged young people to shed the greed and cynicism of their time to create a new age of hope for humankind.

He urged the young people in his more than 1 billion-strong flock to be agents of change because "the world needs renewal."

"In so many of our societies, side by side with material prosperity, a spiritual desert is spreading: an interior emptiness, an unnamed fear, a quiet sense of despair," the pontiff said.

The aim was "a new age in which hope liberates us from the shallowness, apathy and self-absorption which deadens our souls and poisons our relationships," he said.

I just love it. Here is a guy preaching for youths to spurn materialism and look at the garb he is wearing. The gold colors you see are not yellow paint or thread.

Wine drinkers I know drink their wine out of a wine glass. Not the Pope, he drinks his out of a precious gem and gold encrusted goblet.

You can bet the wine he drinks is not Ripple.

Do as I say not as I do. Give the church all your money and live in the dark.

He doesn't stop there.

The appeal came as Benedict finished a visit to Australia that touched on the themes that have defined his three-year-old papacy, including the struggle to rejuvenate a crisis-battered Church, reaching out to other faiths and raising global warming as an important issue.

Global warming, here we go, let's even have the Pope jump on that unproven bandwagon.

Let's review how the Pope is reducing his carbon footprint.

Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said 350,000 attended Sunday's Mass.

The pope flew over the scene early Sunday in a helicopter, dubbed "the holy-copter" by bleary-eyed pilgrims below, to see the assemblage.

So he flies around in a helicopter to see the masses below.

The reason to be flying over the masses and increasing his contribution to the so-called global warming?

Nothing more than self gratification.

He later took a slow drive through the crowd, stopping once to plant a kiss on the forehead of a toddler held up to the popemobile's window.

So he didn't waste enough fuel and increase global warming by flying over the crowd, he then had to take a slow drive through the same crowd in his popemobile.

So much for liberation from self-absorption.

Benedict flew to Sydney on a more than 20-hour flight from Rome. No, not on a commercial flight to reduce global warming but on an opulent private aircraft.

The Mass came a day after the pope made a forceful apology for the sexual abuse of children by Australia's Roman Catholic clergy, keeping up efforts begun in the United States to publicly atone for what he called evil acts by priests.

To date the Pope has done nothing but make what is billed as a forceful apology for the sexual abuse of children by the Roman Catholic clergy.

Maybe he needs to come into a new age in which hope liberates us from the shallowness, apathy and self-absorption which deadens our souls and poisons our relationships.

In the mean time, keep giving your money to the Catholic Church so they can continue to pay lawsuits for the pedophiles that the Pope does nothing more than apologize for.

The priests must have one hell of a union that the Pope somehow can't fire them.

Jesse Wants Nuts

Well, talk about an interesting turn of events.

I think now is the time that certain people need to speak up, however they are ominously quiet.

They have never been slow to react to this type situation before, condemning people and calling for them to be fired.

An example of that would be Dog The Bounty Hunter.

Some of you may remember Dog was having a private phone conversation with his son who in turn taped the conversation.

Keep in mind his was a private phone conversation that his son sold to the tabloids.

In that private conversation Dog used the "N" word, and once leaked to the public, Dog was vilified for those actions.

"Dog Chapman should not have a show. That show should be taken off the air!"

That's the opinion of prominent civil rights leader Roy Innis, who has served as the chairman of the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE) since 1968.



Innis was shocked and outraged when The ENQUIRER played Dog Chapman's racist telephone conversations for him.

"This man should not be held up as a role model for children," Innis told The ENQUIRER. "He has venom deep in his soul. This is a picture of his heart — a revelation of his true nature.

Innis believes that cable network A&E needs to take swift action in response to Dog's vicious outburst.

"He needs to answer for his behavior," says Innis.

"When someone gets the opportunity to use the airwaves, he becomes a role model, whether he likes it or not. Dog Chapman should not be in that position, posing as a good guy.

"His comments show that he certainly is not a good guy."



Sharpton Open to Meeting With 'Dog'
Reality Star Reached Out to Sharpton After His Racist Rant Went Public



"As a minister I would be inclined to meet with you despite the racist and grotesque things I heard you say," Sharpton wrote in a letter released to the media. "If you wish to meet with me somewhere on the road that is fine, but be assured that I will not sanitize the kind of hate language that leads to the hate action that has left so many people vulnerable in America today."

Sharpton said that his National Action Network will not condemn A&E's decision to suspend the program despite the use of the slur in what Chapman thought was a private conversation because "what was said in private is now public, and they have a right to deal with their public perception."

“I think that forgiveness is always in order, but forgiveness without paying a price is asking for amnesty.” - Rev. Sharpton

Isn’t the whole point of forgiveness to accept it and move on? Isn’t what Sharpton is advocating here is someone paying penance for their sins?

If Sharpton is a Christian pastor, does Jesus tell us that forgiveness should come with the condition of paying a price?



Last but not least, always at the forefront with an opinion, and always promoting the person lose their job for what he thinks is wrong is, of course, Jesse Jackson.



He also wanted Dog fired and for him to "pay."

Jesse told the world that the use of the "N" word was unacceptable by anyone.

That was a year ago and what has Jesse got to say today?

Fox News Says Jackson Used Racial Slur

CHICAGO - The Rev. Jesse Jackson used the N-word during a break in a TV interview where he criticized presidential candidate Barack Obama, Fox News confirmed Wednesday.

The longtime civil rights leader already came under fire this month for crude off-air comments he made against Obama in what he thought was a private conversation during a taping of a "Fox & Friends" news show.

In additional comments from that same conversation, Jackson is reported to have said Obama was "talking down to black people," and referred to blacks with the N-word when he said Obama was telling them "how to behave."

In addition to using the "N" word he said he would like to cut Obama's nuts off.

When Jesse was exposed his response was:

"I am deeply saddened and distressed by the pain and sorrow that I have caused as a result of my hurtful words. I apologize again to Senator Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, their children as well as to the American public," Jackson said in a written statement. "There really is no justification for my comments and I hope that the Obama family and the American public will forgive me. I also pray that we, as a nation, can move on to address the real issues that affect the American people."

He wants to move on. Oh I'll bet he does.

Interestingly civil rights leader Roy Innis and the Rev. Al Sharpton have been very slow to react to this latest racial slur by Jesse.

Here we have a guy who is a reverend of no church, running the Rainbow PUSH Coalition which is where he gets his money, who uses what is purported to be an unacceptable word and their silence is deafening.

The other thing the reverend did was condone maiming a presidential candidate by wanting to cut his nuts off. That comment alone should warrant a close look by the secret service as a threat.

Jackson said Obama was "talking down to black people," and referred to blacks with the N-word when he said Obama was telling them "how to behave."

Here is how Obama talked down to the black audience:

" But we also have to demand more from ourselves," he said. "Now, I know there's some who've been saying I've been too tough talking about responsibility. But here at the NAACP, I'm here to report I'm not going to stop talking about it. Because ... no matter how many 10-point plans we propose, or how many government programs we launch -- none of it will make any difference if we don't seize more responsibility in our own lives."

Taking responsibility, he said, means turning off televisions and putting away video games and providing direct guidance to children.

"Teaching our daughters to never allow images on television to tell them what they are worth; teaching our sons to treat women with respect, and to realize responsibility does not end at conception; that what makes them a man is not the ability to have a child but to raise one," he said. "That's a message we need to send."

To me that statement applies to all races and is not talking down to black people. However based on Jesse's comment, he does not think that black people should take any responsibility with their families.

To be consistent with condemning racial comments, what Roy innis said about Dog would also apply to Jesse:

"This man should not be held up as a role model for children," Innis told The ENQUIRER. "He has venom deep in his soul. This is a picture of his heart — a revelation of his true nature.

"He needs to answer for his behavior," says Innis.

"When someone gets the opportunity to use the airwaves, he becomes a role model, whether he likes it or not. He should not be in that position, posing as a good guy."

"His comments show that he certainly is not a good guy."


Jesse Jackson should be fired from his reverend's job of his nonexistent church, be removed from any association with or income from the Rainbow Push Coalition, be required to take sensitivity classes and ask for forgiveness, and as Rev. Al so eloquently put it, forgiveness without paying a price is asking for amnesty. Therefore Jesse needs to pay and pay dearly.


Equality (Equality commonly refers to the idea of equal treatment) is a two way street!!

How Shocked Am I?

The other day the wife was reading the paper and she saw a story about a guy in the town I went to school in.

She said to me, "Hey do you know this guy?" and she said his name. "Well heck yeah," I said. "He was my high school English teacher."

She handed me the paper and when I saw his picture I couldn't believe how old he looks.



I found a really neat site you need to look at if you are panicking and want to trade in your gas guzzler for a battery / gas powered car to save money.

http://www.kvbc.com/Global/Link.asp?L=328812

This site will be slow loading but it is worth the wait. I used a price of $5.00 a gallon and was amazed how many years the payback is.

My friend Pat shared a story about her husband Wally who is an avid golfer. She said when he came home from his usual Monday game he told her he had a terrible day.

She said Wally told her his friend Harry dropped dead on the 10th tee.

"That's awful," she said.

"You're not kidding," said Wally. "For the whole back 9 it was hit the ball, drag Harry, hit the ball drag Harry."

OK OK what is better than girl scout cookies?

Marijuana Farm Busted on Scout Camp



WARSAW, Ind. - Police found thousands of marijuana plants being grown in a remote part of a Girl Scout camp, according to court documents and a scout official.

About 5,000 plants - were growing on camp land. State troopers in an airplane spotted the plots.
Parents of campers were informed of the discovery when they picked up their children.

A girl scout that I know just came from Warsaw.

She smiled because I did not understand.

Then she held out some marijuana, ha ha!

She said it was the best in all the land.

I say no no no I don't smoke it no more,

I'm tired of waking up on the floor.

No, thank you, please, it only makes me sneeze,

And then it makes it hard to find the door.

Inconceivably Stupid Things

It's early in the campaign for president, and McCain has just handed over the presidency to Obama.

McCain Vows to 'Get Osama bin Laden'

In a major speech, John McCain vows to capture Osama bin Laden and says that the U.S. troop buildup in Iraq should be a blueprint for success in Afghanistan.

Now that's a tall promise to make.

Any reasonable person has to wonder how he can do what our troops, the CIA, the FBI and any other clandestine group has been unable to do.

If he knows where Osama is then he should share that info with those who need to know.

Please don't insult what little intelligence I have.

First US Town Powered Solely by Wind

Rock Port, Mo., has an unusual crop: wind turbines.

The four turbines that supply electricity to the small town of 1,300 residents make it the first community in the United States to operate solely on wind power.

Let's hope the wind doesn't quit blowing or they will be the first town to operate totally stupid.

Lawmakers Target Chinese-Made Flags



The fact that many U.S. flags are made in China has some politicians seeing red. While Congress can't stop the import of such flags, lawmakers want to restrict their use.

In the latest move, the House decides that any flag flown over federal property should have a Made in the U.S.A. label. Some individual states are looking at their own restrictions.

Two things - why can't Congress can't stop the import of such flags and all Chinese imports for that matter. Second, did they just happen to notice where the flags were made? This has been going on for many years.

If so, does that scare you how alert our congress is?


Is it just me or does anyone else think that by the time our illustrious politicians do something about our economy it will be too late.

Millions will lose everything they have, thousands of businesses will be closed and retirement savings will be gone.

If and when they somewhat agree to try to help the situation, a national health system will be needed to care for all the people that have lost everything and a retirement system will be needed to support the ones that cannot work any longer.


Of course that age is well past 65:

At 80, Stripper Still Takes It Off



LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Tempest Storm, an 80-year-old burlesque dancer in Las Vegas, says she has no intention of retiring, despite her age and even though her form of entertainment is dying. "No, no. I'm not ready to hang up my G-string, yet. I've got too many fans that would be disappointed," she said.

This will become our world. If you want to get old, you'll get old, but you better work until you die.

Hot News

Let's tiptoe through the news, shall we?

Who's hot:

Kyle Busch has won three of the last four races. He has won his seventh Sprint Cup race.

In NASCAR's three national touring series -- Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Craftsman Truck -- Busch has won a combined 14 races.

Imagine that, a kid from Las Vegas, NV, that can really wheel a car!!


Who's really hot:

'Satirical' Obama Cover Stirs Controversy


A satirical illustration of Michelle and Barack Obama brought harsh criticism from both the Obama and McCain campaigns. Obama's campaign called it "tasteless and offensive."

I don't think he is happy. In fact, I think he's hot.


Who's not hot:

Favre Blames 'Retirement' on Packers



MILWAUKEE - Brett Favre wants to play but doesn't feel welcome in Green Bay, so he's asking to be released.

Favre made it clear he would not return to the Packers if he wasn't the starter.

There lies the rub, he still is under contract to the Packers. So basically it's I will start or I will retire, take your choice.

The team coach and owners should be able start him or play him as a reserve.

He needs to stay retired. He has now made himself an embarrassment.


Good hot:

Packer Finished as Top CBS Analyst.



It's news that many college basketball fans have wanted to hear for years. CBS is replacing Billy Packer with Clark Kellogg on its top announcing team, prompting the controversial analyst to pursue other opportunities.

About time, no loss to the TV viewers.


Not hot at all:

Belgian Brewer to Buy Anheuser-Busch



After several months of persistence from Belgium's InBev, Budweiser maker Anheuser-Busch agrees to be acquired.

A sad sign of the time. A few more years and no company will be United States owned.


Hot for the women, not hot for the church:

Mormon “stud” calendar causes problems




"Men on a Mission," which has sold nearly 10,000 copies at $14.99 each, included pictures of 12 returned missionaries wearing black slacks, but not their trademark white shirts, in modest poses. The men also were photographed in traditional missionary garb and share their religious beliefs in biographical sketches.



Chad Hardy was excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for publishing a calendar of shirtless Mormon missionaries. Hardy said he was trying to counter stereotypical images of the church and bears no ill will.

Hardy, 31, was a missionary once, but has not been an active member of the church since 2002.

Time to tithe 15 % quick.

God Is My Co-Pilot

Someone once taught me that the Constitution of the United States guaranteed my freedom of speech.

So pretty much all my life I have said what I want and occasionally someone doesn't like what I say, but I still have the right to say it.

Somewhere along the way some people in the minority have been able to change my rights so I can say what I want as long as no one person is offended.

I'm not sure when that happened, but it is not right.

A lot of free speech things may offend me, but I don't go on a crusade and make the majority of people stop just because I am offended.

Here is a classic case, and keep in mind I am not a Bible Thumper, but they have a right to free speech as well as anyone.

Here in Nevada as with many states you can purchase personalized plates showing other drivers things you support.

Sitting at a stop light and because you have freedom of speech, I am forced to see what you believe.

The plate may not promote, advertise or endorse any specific product, brand name, or service or promote any specific religion, faith or anti-religious belief.






The plates can support atomic bombs, unions and the Masons but not any religious group (they might want to revisit the Masons).

This is not the only state as others are being challenged.



The cross and stained glass themed plates with the phrase "I Believe" across the bottom were cooked up by the South Carolina Senator Larry Grooms and endorsed unanimously by the state legislature, and a similar effort is underway in Florida.

On those grounds, the plates may constitute a state sanctioning of one religion over another, and that raises the ire of non-Christians and free speech advocates.

The group, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, has filed a lawsuit to block these plates from seeing the light of day.

Do I want them on my car? No, no more than I would want the ones shown above on my car, but I do believe the believers have as much right to their fredom of speech as the nonbelievers do.

Isn't it strange how all this came about ? So few can change the laws of so many.

Friday Out And About

Did you know

Pet Owners Prefer McCain Over Obama

If the presidential election were up to pet owners, John McCain could have a blue ribbon in his future.

Democratic candidate Barack Obama doesn't have a pet, though he has promised his daughters a dog after the election, win or lose.

A poll found that among people who don't have pets, Obama leads McCain 48 percent to 34 percent.

Dog owners lean toward McCain, 43 percent to 34 percent, while cat owners basically divide their loyalties with 41 percent for McCain and 38 percent for Obama.

Well that makes for an easy decision.



With all the flooding in Iowa, a homeowner's work is never done.


In today's housing market you gotta keep the lawn well manicured in case potential buyers drive by.

Did you know the United States exports several goods to Iran?

Wisconsin exports one item that totals $9.6 million and Ohio exports one item that totals $6.5 million.

Now you may say "that is a lot of bull" and you would be correct.


Their top export: Bull semen.

Now you have to wonder the method they use to gather the semen.

Do you suppose they hand the cows a copy of Playbull to get them excited?

I would like to see how they list the job description in a help wanted ad.

They say illegal immigrants only take the jobs Americans don't want. I wonder if this qualifies as one of those jobs?


Speaking of bulls, I think more women should step up like this for a good cause.

Spanish singer gets naked to save bulls


Bulls face off with a matador in the bullring, and usually wind up dead.

Alaska, a popular Spanish singer, chose to raise awareness for the cause by posing nude in a new ad campaign.

But that's not all. Even the non-famous are going naked -- sprawled in front of the bullring gates, covered in blood with fake lances in their backs.



Women unite, it's time to get people thinking about going green.

Every Saturday afternoon you should tie a green ribbon in your hair, take off all your clothes and parade around town to bring attention green cars.


Seems like a good idea to me.


Let's close with some art.

I stopped by a new art exhibit the other day and I thought I would share something that caught my eye.



It was titled "A Sign Of The Times."