Respect Your Elders From Fox News, comes this little tidbit:

The nearly century-old tradition of giving a cane to the oldest person in one Massachusetts town is being quashed because some seniors said the cane was an offensive symbol of age, reports the Metro West Daily News. Since 1909, folks in Ashland, Mass., have been giving the fabled Boston Post cane to its oldest resident each year. Al Dino, 96, was this year's winner. But he will not be receiving the cane. Instead, said Elder Affairs Director Joanne Duffy, "we're coming up with a new tradition to celebrate them and what they've achieved."

Honestly, if I were to receive this particular cane, I'd be MORE than happy enough to take it. It seems to be an honored symbol of a milestone which very few people will reach. However, if the person who has it mysteriously dies within 12 months, that's a different story. I can't stand old people who don't think they're old. Really, you SHOULD know how old you are and how it relates to 21.

It's Sexism, Stupid! If we were to go around the country and use the same standard that Ms. Idiot is using to austersize the Masters golf tournament, then we'd have to take a serious look at Smith College in Massachusetts. First off, they're ALL GIRL! *gasp!* Secondly, they don't seem to THINK they're all girl. They are removing all references to "she" and "her" and replacing them with "gender-neutral" terms. WHY!?!?! Who on EARTH is offended by this? Probably, it's the same people who click those stupid pop-ups.

Want To Know What Memorial Day Is REALLY About? There's at least one kid who knows.

Pivoting his body with his right arm and holding a neon-green ruler in his left hand, James Milam, 10, crawled from grave to grave at Nashville National Cemetery yesterday morning, carefully placing an American flag exactly one foot from each gravestone.

Memorial Day is not just another day off of work, or a day to not go to school. It is not the official beginning of the summer travel season. It is a day set aside to remember and honor those who have gone on before us and given the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

O! Ye that love mankind! Ye that dare oppose not only the tyranny but the tyrant, stand forth! Every spot of the Old World is overrun with oppression. Freedom hath been hunted round the globe. Asia and Africa have long expelled her. Europe regards her like a stranger and England hath given her warning to depart. O! receive the fugitive and prepare in time an asylum for mankind. The cause of America is, in a great measure, the cause of all mankind. He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression. --- Thomas Paine

Quotables

�As far as I'm concerned, war always means failure.� � Jacques Chirac, president of France

� As far as France is concerned, you're right.� � Rush Limbaugh, radio talk show host

A Real Step Towards Peace? The Israeli Cabinet narrowly approved a road map to peace. Now, you and I - the average Joes - know that this is just surface fluff, but we'll happily let the governments perform their little show of peace, and then call them stupid when it fails. Why will this one fail as well? Because, Israel has now officially affirmed a Palestinian State. We all know that that means the Palestinians will have to kill MORE women and children because they want MORE than just statehood. Give them an inch, they think they're a ruler. Let the senseless mall bombings commence.

Quick Poll Post a comment in this post if you have EVER (and I mean EVER) actually PURPOSELY clicked a link in one of those annoying pop-up windows. I'd like to try and figure out how successful those stupid things are. Now, when I say successful, don't go quoting me the statistics from Orbitz stupid (and useless, I might add) site. I don't want stats spewed word for word from some "industry expert" who gets paid to say nice things about the pop-ups. No, I want independently verifiable stats to show anything (and I mean ANYTHING) over a 7% response rate. Because, anything less than that wouldn't be acceptable enough for me to continue paying companies to ANNOY my potential customers.

Sweet Dreams Of You My brand spankin' new bed arrived and it sure is comfortable. Now I know why I haven't been getting a good night's sleep. Now, run off, weep, and be jealous!

The Travel Ban Is Unwarranted Specifically, isn't that what the government in Toronto had said when WHO issued a travel warning? Why, yes, it is. Seems now that maybe, just maybe, it is warranted.

At least 25 people are being investigated for SARS and 1,000 more are in quarantine

Nice of them to not want this to spread though. How, shall we say, Socialist of them.

Preach On Christopher, over at the Midwest Conservative Journal, has a great piece on the United Nations' abysmal record of doing ANYTHING which enhances the wellness of the people.

Not All Follow Blindly Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, wants to hike the gas tax by 5.4 cents per gallon. Freshman congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave, R-Colorado, isn't blindly following the lead. Ms. Musgrave makes one very astute observation:

"The American people need their tax burden lifted, not shifted."

Exactly. What good is a tax cut if you are just going to take my money by some other means? It ceases being a tax cut.

Online Tracts . . . Cool Was poking around Blogs4God and found a link to a site which offers online gospel tracts. In case you were looking for them, they're there.

Customer Support In an ongoing effort to read the least amount of SPAM I can, I have changed email addresses. For those of you who wish to email me, click on the "Contact Tony" link to the right and a new window will popup with the new email address. Essentially, it will tell you to send it to tony_blog [at] hotmail.com. It opens a new window siimply because the server the Contact page is housed on does not allow the email spiders in.

Vote 2008 Wild, at Bleeding Brain, is running for President. Go, show your support. *Obviously, BlogSpot can't allow Permalinks to work. Hence, I didn't post a permalink. Just look for SCENE 1. Read it, then scroll up to SCENE 2.

For All Those Renters Was out touring MSN this morning and found 15 Renters' Rights. If you are renting a place to live, you really should know this stuff already, but in case you don't, the basics are in the article.

1. The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to deny housing to a tenant on the grounds of race, color, sex, religion, disability, family status, or national origin. 2. Residential rental units should be habitable and in compliance with housing and health codes?meaning they should be structurally safe, sanitary, weatherproofed, and include adequate water, electricity, and heat. 3. Many states limit the amount landlords can charge for security deposits. (See http://www.nolo.com/encyclopedia/articles/lt/lt1.html to find out if yours is one of them.) 4. A landlord should make necessary repairs and perform maintenance tasks in a timely fashion, or include a provision in the lease stating that tenants can order repairs and deduct the cost from rent. 5. A landlord must give prior notice (typically 24 hours) before entering your premises and can normally only do so to make repairs or in case of an emergency. 6. Illegal provisions in a rental agreement (provisions counter to state law) are usually not enforceable in court. 7. If a landlord has violated important terms related to health, safety, or necessary repairs, you might have a legal right to break your lease. 8. If you have to break a long-term lease, in most states landlords are required to search for a new tenant as soon as possible rather than charging the tenant for the full duration of the lease. 9. Damage or security deposits are not deductible for "normal wear and tear." Some states require that a landlord give an itemized report of any deductions. 10. Most states require landlords to return refundable portions of a security deposit within 14 to 30 days after the tenant has vacated the premises, even in the case of eviction. 11. Landlords usually can't legally seize a tenant's property for nonpayment of rent or any other reason, except in the case of abandonment as defined by law. 12. Landlords are legally prohibited from evicting tenants as retaliation for action a tenant takes related to a perceived landlord violation. 13. A landlord cannot legally change the locks, shut off (or cause to have shut off) your utilities, or evict you without notice; eviction requires a court order. 14. If a landlord makes life so miserable for you that it forces you to move, it may be considered "constructive eviction," which is usually grounds for legal action. 15. In many states, it's illegal for a lease to stipulate that the tenant is responsible for the landlord's attorney fees in case of a court dispute.

There's more stuff you should know in the article, go read it.

I'm So Excited Somewhere between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., my little slice of heaven arrives. I cannot wait until I am able to actually get a good night's sleep. For somebody who only sleeps 3-5 hours a night as it is, it should be a quality 3-5 hours.

In Case You Cared . . . Annika Sorenstam didn't make the cut to play this weekend. I posted in the comments over at Steve's site, but I'll say it here as well. Did she belong on the "men's tour"? Who knows? What I DO know is that if she wished to play the PGA, she should be required to qualify just as all the men did. Go to Q-School and make THAT cut and then play all you want. Alas, she played at the Colonial. She finished 4-over par, which makes her missing the cut by 4 strokes. How'd she do? She finished 96th out of 111. VeeJay had nothing to fear, he wouldn't be beaten by a girl. Annika Sorenstam is THE best female golfer in the world. She is the LPGA version of Tiger Woods, as she should be because she'd have kicked the crap out of me playing this course. Of course, she would most likely kick the crap out of me playing ANY course. I'm okay with that - I've lost to girls before.

Sorenstam believes another woman will take on the PGA Tour -- but it won't be her. ''It was a great week but I've got to go back to my tour, where I belong,'' she said. ''I'm glad I did it, but this is way over my head.''

You mean you couldn't beat all the men? Could it be that men and women are . . . GASP . . . different than each other? Yes. If the PGA was "way over [the] head" of the world's greatest female golfer, wouldn't that mean . . . nah, I won't say it. As far as another woman playing in a PGA event, that would be Suzy Whaley at the Greater Hartford Open.

Warning Just To Warn The Department of Homeland Security seems to issue warnings just to make it appear they actually DO something.

"(The department) has no specific information to indicate that a truck bombing of any kind is currently being planned in the United States," said the bulletin, whose distribution list included major U.S. companies. But the department said it wanted to advise the public as well as people who "own and operate facilities" about possible indicators of "terrorist attack planning."

Well, whoop-dee-doo. Let's see if I, Tony the Right, can issue a warning:

Warning: Possible terrorist activity involving one, or more, lunatic "martyr". This threat could be directed at places where innocent women and children civilian personnel gather. For example, shopping malls, grocery stores, or Starbucks. Be on the look out for anyone matching the description of: possibly Middle Eastern in appearance, wearing a parka, appearance of an exaggeratedly oversized abdomen. This could be a possible homicide bomber.

Hey, for 60% of what they pay Tom Ridge, they can pay me.

Tomorrow, Heaven Arrives At The Tony House The House Commander™ and myself have been searching for a matress for two months now. Tomorrow, that little slice of heaven arrives. Our bed is WAY too old to be of any use, and we look forward with glee to receive the bed. Not to mention that we got it for 50% off. The power of negotiation, supply, and demand.

Now, Make Something Stick The Senate reluctantly approved allowing us to keep our money over the next ten years.

On Friday, Vice President Dick Cheney was forced to break a 50-50 tie in the Senate over the cuts, which Republicans said will stimulate the economy but Democrats argued would only add to the deficit.

It will certainly add to the deficit if these guys keep spending our money like it's their's.

In the middle of the night Friday, the House passed 231-200 the conference bill negotiated between Senate and House leaders. The bill provides rebate checks to parents and larger paychecks to workers this summer. The measure also sends $20 billion in aid to financially troubled states over the next two years.

Rebate checks? Sheesh. It's MY money. I earned it and they just took it. Now, they're being nice enough to give some back. However, they are unable to say it was mine to begin with. As far as the "financially troubled states", they REALLY need to stop do something about spending. For example, the State of Texas has decided to pass an unfunded bill which will allow people in Texas to go to Community College for "free". Of course, what they REALLY mean is that they can go to Community College for "free" for THEM. I, however, have to pay for it. Nothing's "free" - except my advice to you.

Yes, I Did You may notice that I moved a few things around on my Blog. The Left Nav is now the Right Nav, there's the background image thingy which annoys people to no end, and I made the stretch of the page go away (because it annoyed me). Also, took of the "BlogRoll" and just put the table there myself. Apparently, if you want an image to begin your link, you have to now pay for BlogRolling. They aren't near as reliable as I am to me and I don't pay myself. By the way, a few people emailed and asked ... for the most part, yes, I do make my own graphics. You can probably tell this by how crappy they look at times. The little Kilroy guy at the top of the page is just cute and I like him. Yes, I made him too. I'm Kilroy's Dad now.

Terms Of Service Farce So, I'm out searching spots to move this Blog to and come across one, which I won't name yet, which includes the following line in it's terms of service:

make available any Content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable;

Doesn't that pretty much include everybody's website?

Good Point I was over reading this post on Thinklings and felt I should post the top one thing which just drives me nuts about "modern day Christianity". It is plain old "human nature" to want control - to be independent. I have no problem with this. Hey, I'm human too. What irks me is people telling me things like: "You have to let God have control". I hate to break this to you, no matter how much control I think I have, God is still in control. He knew what decisions I would make long before I made them. In knowing this, He has ALREADY set up His plan to work with this knowledge. Funny thing about God, He knows all that has happened, is happening, and will happen. He knows this long before the particular circumstance pops up in front of me. Why on earth would I attempt to break God up into manageable chunks? I can never manage any single part of God. He doesn't need me, I need Him. You can paint all the rosey little pictures you want, the fact remains that, as God Himself says in Ezekial 36:22, He doesn't do "these things" for my sake - He does them for the sake of His Holy name. My one, single-most purpose for being created is to worship Him, and Him alone. Without Him, I can't even do that correctly (hence, his message in Ezekial). That being said, as a Christian, my only assignment is to ensure that God gets the glory in everything. "But, Tony, what about all the bad things that happen to you? You were unemployed for the large part of three years!" 1 Thess. 5:16-18 states that I am to be joyous always, pray continuously, and give thanks in all things, for this is God's plan for my life in Christ Jesus. This includes the supposed "bad things" that happens to me. Apparently, from a casual standpoint, my sole purpose in God's work is to be "an example". I am an example that God longs for a relationship with me. Even through the bout of unemployment, He provided. We were never hungry, homeless, or naked (except for showering and bathing and other obvious times). We never went without all that we needed to survive. God took care of us for the entire time. God was still "in control". Oh, I was doing the footwork, but He was definitely "in control".

A Right To Violence? According to a "trade group", MINORS have a RIGHT to rent, view, and play violent video games. Let's clarify one thing: I am not actually for any laws which specifically prohibit a protected right. However, do we have a RIGHT to play video games? Driving is a PRIVILEGE, but, according to these idiots, video games are a RIGHT. Do the game makers have a right to make the game? Yes. Do the video game distributors and sellers have a right to do their business? Yes. Does my child have the right to play these games? No. My child has the privilege to watch the moves I deem appropriate for her. The government has said that my child can watch "this movie" or "that movie", but I don't always agree. As a parent, it is my responsibility to determine what I believe is healthy and right for her. Will my teenager watch a movie I deem inappropriate? Probably so, but it won't be in my house. She'd have to be over at a friend's house for that to happen. Does that mean she has the RIGHT to watch it? Nope. It means that she'll get in trouble if I find out that she did something I expressly wished she didn't. In other words, I don't believe the law which Washington has passed is unconstitutional. I also believe it is the PARENTS responsibility to raise their children. Some parents have a problem with that. Of course, that's where people like Rita come in. What's next? The RIGHT for my 14 year old to watch pornography?

What A Moron To prove to the country that there are worse selections for judgeship than those now before the Senate, Tarrytown Village, N.Y., Justice William Crosbie actually asked an Arab-American woman in his traffic court if she is a terrorist. From a parking ticket to a terrorist. Only a moron could possibly make that kind of connection.

Thought You Were Boycotting? The NAACP (I won't tell you what my father-in-law says it stand for) has filed two lawsuits against Myrtle Beach, S.C., establishments claiming that they discriminate against blacks. You know, the blacks who are boycotting South Carolina over the Confederate Flag on the State Capitol grounds. Allegedly, these establishments close during the biker rally just to avoid serving blacks. In Myrtle Beach. In South Carolina. Apparently, Denny's doesn't serve blacks in South Carolina (????). Now, nothing against Denny's (except the food and service sucks), but I've been in a Denny's in Myrtle Beach. Honestly, they didn't seem to have any problem whatsoever serving any and all minorities. The NAACP, one of the most racist organizations in the United States, is, as usual, attempting to serve that "race card" again. Next thing you know, they'll call for a boycott of South Carolina which will make the State bow at the NAACP's feet. Oh, wait. They've tried that. It didn't work either.

Peace Is About To Break Out I believe we are about to see an "explosion of peace" somewhere in the world. The alleged second in command of Al-Qaeda released an audio tape calling on peaceful Muslims worldwide to "'light a fire under the feet' of the United States and its allies", to show everybody how peaceful and all inclusive they are. Oh, I can't wait. I've been waiting for peace my whole life and it's time has come. "Hey, what's this button do?"

They're Being Repressed . . . Again Ah, those Dixie Chicks. The poor, poor, pitiful Chicks were booed at the Academy of Country Music Awards last night. Oh, don't get me wrong. They didn't show up or anything, but the very mention of the name caused the booing. I figure that it is only a matter of time before Ms. Maines starts whining about having her First Amendment Rights taken away from her. Of course, this will be to a national audience, thus showing how repressed she really is.

Power Struggle Jacques Chirac, the French Court Jester™, has a vision. Apparently, he wants to "balance" world power by having France an alternative to the United States. Chirac, what color is the sky in your world? France has been irrelevant for centuries. I know this annoys you to no end, but facts be facts.

He said Evian's main goal would be "to build the institutions and rules of a global democracy, open and interconnected", . . .

Doesn't he wonder exactly what the anti-globalization crowd is protesting? Yes, there are factions of this crowd who believe that destroying private property is the way to get your message across, but the great bulk of them stay home and complain not a once. The violent faction can kiss my patootie and go to jail (or get killed -- whichever). The rest of us really need to speak up. A "global democracy", from my point of view, looks good on paper, but Democracy and Socialism have been practically proven not a good mix. Canada (God love 'em), France, Germany, and a host of other nations who try to mix them, have failed economically. You can't be truly "free" unless you are free to utilize your money in a fashion which benefits you and those immediately around you. If you can't open a small business and let market forces decide if you succeed or fail, what's the point in trying? In countries who try to mix Democracy and Socialism, governmental influences will shut down businesses like they're going out of style. I'd rather you decide if my company succeeds.

A Quandry Thinking of moving my Blog. I had posted about a place to move it, but received no suggestions, so I will be "out and about" trying to find a place to move it to.

A Shirt I Need To quote a shirt I saw:

How many vegetables had to die for your stupid salad?

Bad Choices Abound I believe that waiting even longer to hand Iraq back to the Iraqis will turn the tide against the plan. Basically, it's asking for trouble. I was all for going into Iraq and ridding it of Saddam. I was all for slowly building their government from the ground up. I am not for taking as much time as we please to do it. It makes it look like we are being hegemonic . . . not a good way to appear.

SARS "Update" As you all know, I am not a big worry wart over SARS. I specifically feel that I don't have much to worry about from a pandemic standpoint. As a matter of fact, I believe I was one of very few who actually used the word pandemic with SARS. Well, not any longer. The guy who helped stamp out Small Pox is worried about it now . . . on a pandemic level.

For All Pet Owners I don't own any pets. There are several reasons for this, but the abbreviated list looks like this:

1. I have to feed them 2. I have to bathe them 3. I have to care for them 4. I have to walk them 5. I have to smell them

I am, by no stretch of the imagination, a neat freak. I am, however, a "clean" freak. You can't have "clean" as long as there's a pet around. Yes, I know all you pet owners love your pets and consider them a part of your family. In some instances, they are your "children". Well, I have children and don't need any which won't eventually pick up after themselves. What REALLY irks me about some pet owners can be boiled down to an even smaller list: < whining >

1. They crap 2. The pet owner should pick it up

If you won't take the responsibility of picking up your pet's feces, do not expect me to be nice about having to smell it. Comparitively speaking, if you don't smoke, do you like sitting close enough to the smoking section as to smell it? No. Why not? Because, it is an odor you have no love for. Well, dog feces are treated the same way to me. If I can't open my windows without having to smell it, then you (as a pet owner) are irresponsible. If my children can't go outside and play in the grass because of your dog's feces (which you refuse to pick up), I won't be nice then either. It's a simple concept. If you have a dog, and it craps outside in the grass, and the grass isn't your yard, freakin' pick it up. < / whining >

Story Of The Day David Gilmour (Pink Floyd guitarist, wake up!) is planning a homeless village. If it's a village, there are obviously places to live there. Wouldn't they cease being homeless at that point? Wouldn't that make it just a "village"?

Uh-oh . . . A Boycott, Let's Party South Florida's black community leaders are calling for a boycott because 13,000 kids won't graduate because they obviously didn't think the statewide test was worth studying for. You all know that I am not a fan of public schools and neither am I a fan of standardized tests. However, to say they are "unfair to minorities" is hogwash. There is one grading system. One. Not "one for whites" and "one for blacks". It's the same scale. It's the same test. The second beef I have with this article is the lack of facts to back up the claim that the test is discriminatory. Yes, they say 13,000 people will not graduate. Yes, they said they were in south Florida. That covers a large area. There are no real specifics concerning which areas of south Florida. After all, Orlando is in south Florida. If you're going to write a story and it's supposed to be credible, you really shouldn't make me guess the facts. They should be included.

Some Are Finally Standing Up Hey, apparently not all Palestinians are bent on getting "martyred" and are standing up against the militants. Good for them.

Hate To Sound "Out There", But . . . The sky is falling! The sky is falling! The United Nations has global aspirations, according to the WorldNetDaily. Of course, most of us already knew this and count it as one of the reasons we (the U.S.) should just get out of it while the gettin's good.

The U.N.'s plan, dubbed "Our Global Neighborhood," is a 410-page final report of the Commission on Global Governance, and was first published in 1995 by Oxford University Press.

Other than the fact that the Oxford University Press has as much credibility as Joe Bob down at the diner, we really should keep on eye on this kind of stuff. It is the lone aggressor against United States sovereignty. Some of their recommendations:

Eliminating the veto and permanent member status in the Security Council; Authorizing global taxation on currency exchange and use of the "global commons;" Creating an International Criminal Court; Creating a standing army under the command of the secretary-general; Creating a new Economic Security Council; Creating a new People's Assembly; Regulating multinational corporations; Regulating the global commons; Controlling the manufacture, sale and distribution of all firearms.

Now, compare this to -- oh -- EVERYTHING which represents an oppressive society and communism. I'm sure you will find the necessary connections. If you happen to be a Christian, as I am, you will mostly recognize this stuff from another source.

I Could've Guessed This One As Well
What Is Your Animal Personality?
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You've GOT To Be Kidding According to Slate writer (sorry, lack of a better term) Steven E. Landsburg, people serving on a jury should be rewarded and/or penalized for getting a verdict "right" or "wrong". He gives two extreme examples, but then believes he makes an intelligent argument for this system. In each example, he points out that the jury came to the incorrect verdict, and he believes they should be punished for it.

But the members of those juries will never be punished for their errors. That means they never had the right incentive to get their verdicts right in the first place.

Errors? Mr. Landsburg was on neither jury. I can only ASSUME that he at least read the transcripts, which I am seriously doubting. Why doubt him? First off, he never says he read them. Secondly, he's a liberal and we all know they can't let silly facts get in their way.

[I]t would be a good thing if juries performed that job with diligence. The way to make workers diligent, as every manager knows, is to reward them when they succeed and punish them when they fail.

He is correct on this point. Workers do perform at a higher standard when they have a reward coming for doing the job well. What he fails to recognize is that those serving on a jury are missing out on doing their jobs because of the jury duty. That is not to say we should do away with juries, but the lawyers may want to ensure that the twelve they chose will do the job well.

It would be easy to apply that principle to juries: When subsequent evidence reveals that jurors got the verdict right, send each of them a big fat check.

One question, Mr. Landsburg: Who pays for that "big fact check"? Taxpayers? My income is not coming from an artesian well, here. It is finite. The money stops sooner or later. And, I have my family to feed and my own bills to pay. I can't afford to pay for some hair-brained scheme like you propose.

When subsequent evidence reveals they got it wrong, hit each of them with a big fat fine.

Subsequent evidence, Mr. Landsburg, implies that the jury didn't have access to it while making their decision. As we all know, the justice system in the U.S. requires "beyond a reasonable doubt". If evidence is withheld which casts that reasonable doubt, there is no reasonable doubt. Thus, you get convicted for a crime you may not have committed.

And if you worry the associated risk will discourage people from serving on juries, pay them each a big fat fee for serving in the first place.

Great, more of my tax dollars flushing down the drain to fund "professional jurors".

There would still be some manifest unfairness?cases where jurors do the best possible job, still get the verdict wrong, and are punished despite their good efforts. But manifest unfairness is part of any good incentive system.

Geez, that's how our tax laws work now. I am definitely against making our justice system work like our tax system. All the juries I have been on have one underlying current: We all have done our best to determine the guilt or innocence of the defendant. Are there people out there who do less than that? Sure, but it isn't the fault of the other eleven people serving on that jury. Punish the whole because a lawyer picked the wrong person for the panel? What an absolutely absurd idea. Using Mr. Landsburg's "logic" (once again, lack of a better term), it's the lawyers who select the jury who should be fined.

Another Reason Not To Move To Britain Other than other idiotic rulings and laws (such as the guy going to jail for shooting an intruder - legally), I now have another reason. Apparently, kids are embarrassed when their parents see them rolling eggs with spoons.

A primary school has banned parents from attending its annual sports day, with egg and spoon and obstacle races, to spare the children from embarrassment if they do not win.

Is winning important? Not so much at this age. No, at this age it's the competition which is important. Trust me. I know it may sound a bit lame, but life is one big competition after another. If the child doesn't start learning that early, the child will never learn how to "win" or "lose" gracefully. Many of these kids will face embarrassment in their lives. Okay, ALL of these kids will. Heaven forbid we actually let them learn how to deal with it. Now, if I only had a dollar for everytime I have been embarrassed. Oh, what could have been . . .

They've Kept Busy Those peaceful people in the Middle East appeared to keep themselves occupied this weekend. They are always clamouring about "peace in the Middle East", but fail to show that they are truly interested in it. These murderers show me more that they are just interested in killing innocent women and children more than peace. As I (and many other Bloggers) have stated on numerous occasions in the past, these people know only one thing . . . force. It is force they understand, thus, it is force which should be used to stop them. Sooner or later, one side or the other will run out of fighters. I'm guessing it would be the peaceful ones who will run out first. Remember, they aren't killing the armies fighting against them, they are killing the people those fighters love. In my world, this is called incentive to use overwhelming force.

Don't Go! Alas, Ari Fleischer has decided that his time has come to leave his post as White House Press Secretary. I always thought he handled the press pretty well. One must remember that a reporter's job is to get the information first. Ari would tick them off by giving them what he was told they needed to know. What I did like about him was his ability to "Just Say No" when he had to. Usually, this would occur immediately following some idiot question from the press corps which the person asking it knew he wouldn't get an answer.

At Last! The reason my posting has been seriously lite lately is because I've been working my tail off. I have finally 'completed' the project. If you're interested (and if not, I don't care), here are the screenshots:

After clicking the button, you end up with a page similar to this one. It will open another window, but it needed to scroll to get the effect. Basically, a 100% dynamically generated Total Cost of Ownership Calculator. The graphs, tables, and everything else is dynamically generated utilizing user input into the form and an SQL database. ASP/VBScript, JavaScript, and a multitude of other programming languages were utilized and it works great. Whether all the calculations are correct is a totally different story. If you are the owner of a company and would like Tony to create one for you ... kiss my tailend. This thing SUCKED.

Not Tonight Sorry, but it's 11 pm and I just got home from work. You people will have to wait until tomorrow PM. Now, go to sleep.

Now This Is Just Nonsense Robert E. Lee - a general so great that even foreign armies study his strategies to this very day. He led an out-manned, out-gunned, and out-equipped army through the four years of the American Civil War. Four years. Can you even begin to realize how hard of a job that that would be? He was the first general which was offered total command of the Union armies. He decided he should be back in Virginia defending his state from the Union "invaders". See, 150 years ago, the states were much more self-governing than they are today. Where we have the National Guard to "defend" the State today, they had the militia. A militia was mostly required because the standing federal army wasn't very large and usually they were stationed too far apart to respond to anything. Robert E. Lee was a general who didn't see the need to burn entire cities. Robert E. Lee, as a matter of fact, only took his army into the "Union" because his troops needed food and clothing badly. Of course, being the lesser army, he lost big time, but I bring that up simply to put forward that he was the general of a DEFENDING army - not an AGGRESSING army. He didn't stray from that, and he didn't waver in his beliefs that he was doing the right thing. That is called INTEGRITY and CHARACTER. All of that, to say this . . . the Boy Scouts are giving R.E. Lee the brush off.

"It is something whose time has truly come because (Lee's name) has been a sticking point for many in the African-American community and many progressive and non-Confederate-loving whites and others," he said.

Is that because the Black-Americans don't want to be associated with somebody of such high integrity and character? Of course not. No, some "we are being held back" Black-American thought that this was a good place to start to "end racism". Personally, I don't think there is any racism in having the "Robert E. Lee BSA Council".

"American history has very few people who have represented honor and integrity such as General Lee," Bowling said. "His fame is worldwide. Everything which General Lee stood for are virtues which all people should subscribe to."

Doesn't sound racist to me. Ah, but who am I? Just somebody who thinks that trying to erase history is a bigger mistake than living with it and learning from it.

Imagine That . . . Part 1 Billion There are people who are actually accusing NPR of being pro-Palestinian. Imagine that. Honestly, who didn't know that NPR was a government-funded, Leftist talk-show radio station?

Yeah, I Know I TOTALLY slacked today. Tomorrow is deadline day for this project and then I'll have some stinkin' free time. Sorry, folks. Oddly enough, work comes first.

The Liberal Twist We all know that "righties" and "lefties" in the media spin their articles and headlines differently. Heck, we expect them to. That's what gives the "other side" their ammo. For instance, if I were to write a story about 18 people dying while attempting to illegally enter the United States, I may point out that they were ILLEGALLY trying to enter the United States. What kind of headline do the leftest in my local rag come up with? "Immigrants' attempt to reach Houston ends with 18 dead". They were not immigrants. They were illegal aliens. Now, everyone say it with me: I - l - l - e - g - a - l aliens

Quote Of The Day From Law & Order: "Six inches to the right, Lincoln would have seen the end of the play."

More From The Peaceful and Tolerant Religion Yep, we've said we were pulling out of Saudi Arabia (something the peaceful religion can use as a victory if they wish, I don't care). Now, what has the Peaceful and Tolerant Religion done in response? Kidnapped Civilian Tourists Blew Up Civilian Oil Company Workers Attacked A Civilian Religious Festival Bombed A Courtroom They're winning me over . . . not! Nothing we (Americans) do will have any effect on whether these murderers kill women and children. Well, nothing we do short of destroying them wherever they are.

Say Huh? The Utopian Society Scouting Organization United Way in Dade County, FL, has stopped supporting the Boy Scouts of America because the Boy Scouts doesn't help gays cope with their sexuality. Of course, I was in the Boy Scouts and I just don't remember "helping gays cope with being deviant" among the literature they use to promote themselves.

Sweet Bajeebus Apparently, Presidential visits to aircarft carriers is nothin new. It seems that many Presidents have visited a navy vessel. Among those sits Bill Clinton with four visits. How dreadful of him to visit his armed forces. Now, go check out the list and count the visits by Democrats compared to Republicans.

N. Korean Acts Of War North Korea has commited borderline acts of war for the last few months. Of course, they got a little upset because we were preoccupied, but now they can take center stage. I'm just waiting for them to do or say something stupid like they were doing before. Apparently, it is the U.S. aggression against North Korea which is causing them to become even 'more' nuclear. If you want the nukes, just say so. Stop beating around the bush, because, frankly, I don't care. I think the N.K. government is full of idiots anyway. We are all aware of many of the acts of war - or, as the left would like to call them, "hostilities" and "aggression". Reports are emerging concerning a North Korean laser weapon which was fired at a couple of U.S. aircraft back in march. If I weren't so worried that I'd be called a right-wing, war-mongering, conservative bigot, I'd say we need to just get it over with.

Showing His Love Evidently, Saddam had no love loss for around 15,000 people who's bodies were found in mass graves in central Iraq. Of course, these are the Iraqis which the Liberals said didn't want to be freed from Saddam's oppression.

New Twenty Proving that, once again, I was a little too busy so far this week, when did this happen?

Ain't it purty? Whatever. As long as it still spends.

That Peaceful Religion It seems that the Peaceful Religion is at it still across the globe. Scores have died in the last 48 hours because members of the Peaceful Religion feels it necessary to attack unarmed civilians. Of course, you couldn't really expect them to attack anybody who has the capability to fight back. Cowards are incapable of that. I'm glad I don't live in a society that is so full of cowards that we would have to attack women and children to try and gain some attention. How pathetic of a life these people must have.

And Some People Doubted Somebody (I won't mention who) posted in my comments a while back about how the terrorism was sure to end once we pulled our troops out of Saudi Arabia. Now that we are (5,000 of them at that), the terrorism is far from over . . . or so it seems.

Democrats Wasting Tax Payer Monies The Texas Legislature is at a standstill primarily because the Democrats didn't like the bills coming up so they skipped town and are holed up in a Holiday Inn in Ardmore, OK. First off, I've been to Ardmore and it's nothing to write home about. However, I would really like to know who's footing that bill? Secondly, they will end up causing a special session, which the taxpayers will foot the bill for. Why are they doing this? Because, they don't want their congressional lines redrawn. Well, here's an idea for you - vote it down. You don't have enough votes to do that? Then place your vote against it and use it as ammunition in the elections.

The legislative walkout erupted from months of growing tension that the Democrats described as the "tyranny of the majority," resulting from the Republican takeover of the House for the first time since Reconstruction.

Tyranny of the majority? That's how this society works, man. Technically, though, it isn't the "majority". It is actually the majority of the minority who voted your sorry rear into office in the first place.

Sorry . . . again Sorry, but there won't be much blogging until later. I'm way too busy for my own good at work right now.

Happy Mother's Day I woke the House Commander™ up this morning because it was her Special Day™. It's Mother's Day! < Smart Aleck > Me: Happy Mother's Day House Commander™: Thank you *such a sweet smile* Me: What would you like for breakfast? HC: The breakfast formerly known as french toast. Me: Sounds great! Make enough for everybody. HC: But, it's Mother's Day! Me: Well, take pride in making it then < / Smart Aleck > Now, before Jen emails me complaining ... I did get up and make her breakfast. As well, she received numerous cards and a lovely "Mother's Bracelet". But, the conversation is just pure me :)

Sorry It seems that the server which is housing my images is not feeling well this morning.

Made It Back We made it back alive from the beach. It was very windy and the surf was worthy of surfing (if'n yer inta dat). The 2 year old loved it after she realized that the water was just water. < Ultimate Tony Zen Moment > Drove into Wendy's to have a burger for lunch. This one was set up really funny. You would approach station number one and place your order. You would then proceed to station two to pay for your order. It was then off to station number three to pick your order up. I'm sure this is efficient in somebody's mind sitting in some office, but I honestly don't think it would work well if your fast food joint were packed. Who knows, it may. So, our adventure at Wendy's began: Station 1 Attendent (S1A): Can I help you? I always thought this was the most stupid question they could ask. Of COURSE they can help me, that's why I'm standing in their line. Me: We want 2 Jr Cheeseburger Deluxes, 1 small french fry, 1 Jr Cheeseburder Deluxe w/ no mayo, 2 biggie Diet Cokes, and a Hamburger Kid's Meal with a Diet Coke. S1A: Thank you for your order, you pay over there - at this point, she flippantly pointed to station number two. S2A: That would be $10.10. Me: "Would be" or "is"? S2A: $10.10 Me: Here you go sunshine - I hand the Ray of Hope™ $10.10 S2A: You can pick your order up right there - another flippant point to yet another station S3A: Enjoy your food! Me: Excuse me, we ordered a total of 1 Kid's Meal and three Jr Cheeseburger Deluxes. S3A: Okay. Me: Okay? No, it's not "okay", because we're missing a hamburger. S3A: The child's burger is in the bag. Me: *dumbstruck look* Excuse me? Odds are I knew that much. However, what I don't know is where my third Jr Cheeseburger Deluxe is. S3A: You ordered three of them? At this point the Manager comes over Manager: Is there a problem I start all over with why I'm still standing at his highly efficient counter Manager: Who's fault is this? Me: *Even MORE dumbstruck than before - I point to the Station One Attendent* She of the Easiest Job On The Planet™ To make a longer story not quite so long, I ended up with a free lunch plus the order one more time -- which I gave to the people behind us in line. < / Ultimate Tony Zen Moment > Man, you have GOT to love the beach.

We're Off We're taking the 2 year old to the beach for the first time. Wish me luck.

Helping The Black Market Back during Prohibition, the "bad guys" in the Mafia and other organized crime organizations made a mint in selling liquor on the Black Market. Now, the government is wanting to see if they can make the Mafia rich from overpricing smokes.

Honestly, I Agree With This A California jury has found the gun manufacturer Bryco Arms partly responsible in the shooting of a 12 year old. Apparently, a 20 year old babysitter was unloading the gun and it went off, shooting the 12 year old. From the article, to unload the Bryco Arms gun, you have to take the safety OFF. How idiotic is THAT for firearms design?

SlackWare Linux Since a few of you wondered what the heck Slackware Linux was, here's a link to it. Sorry, that was a WHOLE lot easier than typing it all out.

Ooooo . . . They Have A Plan Whelp, according to somebody somewhere who says they are part of Al-Qaeda, they are planning another attack on the U.S. *yaaaawwwnnnn* *streeeeeetch* I'll be right here. Waiting for your peaceful, religious selves. Please, don't be late. I hate people who are late. *Oh, there's my ammo* Oh, and, since I have 15 shots, bring a friend. I'll cook some bacon for us.

I'm All For A Good Conspiracy Theory, But . . . Now, China wants to blame the United States for SARS. Specifically, it is a bio-weapon gone astray. According to the Chinese, the earliest SARS diagnosis was in Philadelphia, PA.:

The Wenweipo article entitled, "Earliest SARS outbreak suspected in U.S.," cites reports by the Associated Press and Reuters about a 45-year-old woman who became gravely ill on Feb. 9, 2002, while taking part in her mortgage company's annual sales convention near Philadelphia. Her symptoms included headache, fever, chills, vomiting and shortness of breath. After being hospitalized, she died early the next morning. The hospital was placed under a short-term quarantine and more than 80 people suspected of having had close contact with the woman were examined. Seven were held in the hospital for further observation.

Of course, other than being highly inconclusive, I'd have to say they are covering something up which people in high places have begun to suspect. Namely, I believe China tested a bio-weapon on the population of some small village which the world would never miss. There are PLENTY of those in China. Honestly, using the Chinese's theory, a 45 year old woman in Philadelphia, PA., dies of SARS. Eighty more people were quarantined and all but seven released soon after that. The other seven were held for a little while longer. All that time, I guess, the dead 45 year old was assumingly dropped over some remote Chinese village which the world wouldn't miss. Give me a break. The U.S. does not necessarily have a long, drawn out history of testing bio-weapons on it's own population. Have we? Oh, I'm sure, but I'm also fairly sure they wouldn't test much of a virus as deadly as SARS seems to be. Of course, I could be making all this up. Honestly, who cares?

Minute "Persons"? The University of Mass. Minute Men are seeking to change their image. In leiu of the "Minute Man" mascot, they are thinking of using a Gray Wolf. Only one question for you: Why?

More than 900 of the 1,100 men and women in Struzziero's class were World War II veterans, and he said many felt the Minuteman was a uniquely appropriate symbol for the state university in the place where the American Revolution began. "Times change, but some things shouldn't be touched," he said.

Some things that shouldn't be touched is the history (or, re-writing thereof).

Illegal Immi-Station Driving in this morning listening to my usual morning talk show and heard about this. It seems that there were 14 illegals trying to cross the desert in the U.S. southwest and they perished in the desert. Now, their families are suing the United States for liable. Now, I'm no Albert Einstein, but I believe some common-sense needs to be put into play on this one.

The families of 14 illegal Mexican immigrants who died of dehydration while crossing the hot Arizona desert have filed a $42 million lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior, claiming it failed to help them survive.

How about suing Vicente Fox for not increasing the standard of life in Mexico so these morons wouldn't have attempted to cross a desert with less water than needed?

The 14 are among hundreds of undocumented immigrants that have succumbed to the 100-degree temperatures in the desert region since October 2001, according to Border Patrol statistics.

Or, we could just post some freakin' water stations so we can help you sponge off of our society. The Federal Judge who gave the go ahead for this to go to trial is a moron as well. In effect, the families of these imbeciles are suing the United States (read ... us - because we are the ones who will end up paying for it if they win) for an amount of money which is several millions of times higher than what these imbeciles would have made in numerous lifetimes in Mexico. As well, their lawsuit implies that we would even WANT them sponging off our society. What is the state of America when an illegal "immigrant" (which is the wrong word for them) has more rights than legal residents?

Hmmm . . . Imagine That . . . Part Whatever All the Democrats crying and wailing about President Bush having pictures taken of him on an aircraft carrier, and they still fail to recognize that Clinton had his taken as well. On an aircraft carrier. In military uniform. Imagine that. [Link was found and then stolen from Instapundit]

Warning: Logic In Use If it smells like s*** and it tastes like s*** and it looks like s***, odds are very good it is s***. So, our military has found a semi-trailer which could, in no way, serve another purpose other than as a chemimcal weapons lab. It has been cleaned with a caustic substance; which will make it hard to determine exactly what it was used for. It looks eerily similar to the drawings which Colin Powell showed the U.N. anti-Security Security Council before the war. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck . . .

"Stupid Is As Stupid Does" Are you obese? Over-weight at all? Almost? Yes? I have a newsflash for you -- it isn't McDonald's and Burger King's fault. In my most "humble" opinion, your obesity is caused by either you eating more than you should, or you are just "destined" to be obese. Some people out there seem to think otherwise. Listen to this little bit of common-sense nutrition. If you eat at McDonald's three times a day, seven days a week, you will be a big, fat cow. Plain and simple logic there. You can't POSSIBLY eat that many carbs and that much fat everyday and NOT expect to be fat. You can't have your cake and eat it too. If you do, once again, you will be fat. Bigger than a house. Barely able to fit into your Ford Focus. Unable to ride a Clydesdale because of the weight. Don't fret though, I am here to help you out of your "Big, Fat Frame Of Mind". Choose the salad. I know, I know. It's too simple to work. Just like all those other fad diets. However, science has proven that if you eat a little less fat and a little less carbs everyday, you'll lower your calorie intake and lose weight. There's a stinkin' newsflash for you. *If you are not, in any way, shape, or form obese, this post was not meant for you. If you ARE obese, get a grip. I don't have to listen to you try to push the responsibility for your mouth off on somebody else. I don't have to sit idly by and watch you try to extort money out of a corporation just because "they can afford it". How about skipping that 5,000 calorie 8:00 pm zoo-size feeding?

Question of the Week What on earth is happening to Blogger's archive links? This is just plain annoying now.

Stupid Link of The Day You didn't ask for it, and I bring it anyway. Ladies and Gentlemen - The Ear Plug Store.

Put The Guy Away For A Long Time A bus driver decided it was okay to beat a boy with Down Syndrome. My niece has Down Syndrome, so I feel just a LITTLE qualifed to say this --- put that dude in jail and throw the key away not to find it again for a very long time. My niece is a handful, I'll give the guy that and that alone. Down Syndrome children are most definitely a handful. My niece is even less patient than I am -- and that's hard to do, but Bailey beats me there. Bailey loves giving out hugs and holding hands with those she knows well. She likes her radio and television and "widing in d' cah". How somebody would even want to beat somebody as lovely as Bailey is totally beyond me. GRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!! That dude better hope I don't know him.

The Best Email Subject Line Ever Free Sample Of Septci Treatment Now, why would they keep that?

When A Byrd Speaks Senator Robert Byrd, Socialist Democrat W-VA, doesn't like the fact that President Bush gave a speech and took photos from the deck of an aircraft carrier. Personally, I don't care where he gives speeches from, nor do I care where he's at when photos are taken. Quote Sen. Byrd:

Byrd, who at 85 is the Senate's most senior member, contrasted Bush's speech with the "dignity" of the Gettysburg Address, delivered by the president for whom the carrier was named.

Sen. Byrd hasn't believed in anything in the Gettysburg Address his whole life, which is a considerable span. Of course, his quote above coupled with being a KKK member clearly define what he stands for ... anything that will get him re-elected.

Imagine That Hey, Jen: I won't say I was suprised that my comments were down when I got here this evening. :)

Now, I'm Ticked Off At O'Reilly . . . Again So, some kids in Georgia had an "all white" prom. There's an outrage at the racism screamed from the highest peaks of political correctness. Bill O'Reilly is one of the ones who believes the kids were wrong and shouldn't have been allowed to hold their "all white" prom. A letter Bill just read on his show is actually one with which I can agree. Basically:

Where's the outrage at all black beauty pagents?

Bill basically told him that you couldn't compare the two circumstances. I disagree. It is a perfect example of racism in the name of political correctness. There is an "all black" cable station, BET. If I were to start an "all white" cable station, WET, I'd be hung out to dry for being racist. Even if it were utilized ONLY to show historical, documentary style shows which are meant ONLY to ensure "white heritage" is remembered. It wouldn't matter if I never showed one documentary about slavery, antebellum south, OR mentioned the continent of Africa. I'd still be racist. Bill, you are wrong. Yes, they ARE comparable. Yes, the "all white" prom kids probably DID do it to be malicious. No, that doesn't make "Miss Black America" okay. Things I'd like to see ONLY because the WHOLE story could then come out:

1. Miss White America 2. White Entertainment Television

Man, the doodie would hit the rotary oscillator if either of those were to occur.

Bring It Back? Socialist Democrat Bob Graham officially launched his bid for the White House. He has some lofty goals to aim for, as well.

Democrat Bob Graham formally launched his 2004 Democratic presidential campaign on Tuesday, criticizing the Bush administration's priorities and promising to "bring America back" to security and prosperity.

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling pretty secure at this time. Prosperity? I went three years without a job. Not once was I unable to pay for the stuff we needed. Now, I'm gainfully employed once again. I can still pay for the stuff we need. Sounds prosperous enough. Hey, unless one of you Socialists would like to sign over every third paycheck to me so I don't have to work so hard. Redistribute that wealth!

Sorry! Sorry for the slow posting the last few days. Other than the usual "funk", I'm trying to build a calculator application for a client AND they want it by Friday. Did I ever mention that I just LOVE unreasonable deadlines?

Note To Self If there is a client in your office while you are coding an application for said client, do not say - outloud:

Hey! That worked.

I Saw This One Coming

Which OS are You?

[Link shamelessly taken from Rita]

There Is Stupid .. And Then There Is A Special Kind Of Stupid To set this story up: A Houston Police Department Captain a while back ordered the arrest of 300 people in front of a local KMart, James Coney Island, and Sonic. Even though these people were doing, basically, nothing wrong, the arrests were ordered for trespassing. My first question is to ask why is it trespassing when it's a private parking lot with public access. Of course, I'm not a lawyer, so I'm not the one to ask. A couple of the arresting officers were indicted on a charge you just don't hear anything about: Official Oppression Yes, it is the correct charge and indictment. Even the police don't have free range to just arrest you because they have nothing else to do.

Another Loss For Lefties All the looting in Baghdad day after the statue of Saddam was pulled down, has been complained and whined about by the left so many times, they were beginning to sound like a broken record: "All the artifacts of civilization have been looted from the museums. We'll NEVER have all that history back." Well, newsflash. Not only were they a broken record, the were wrong as well. Not only were there NOT hundreds of thousands of items looted, but it turns out they were safely kept in a storage. Imagine that.

Mother's Day Gift Ideas If, like me, you are at a total loss as to what to get your mother on Mother's Day (another holiday which HAD to be invented by women so they can get more stuff from us men), don't fret - I'm here to help. Some items I don't think my mother would appreciate (all will open a mini-window): A Stepping Stone with my hand print. Some You Stink bath accessories. The Gift of Email. The You Are Worthless book. The I Still Don't Want To Listen To You Dr. Freud Beanie. The You Need A Man To Not Know It's You book Now, you can understand why she wouldn't enjoy them as much as these re-sellers seem to think she would. Going by the above list, your mother is a Dirty, Friendless, Nagging, Shrewd with Low Self-Esteem. Maybe I'll just give her some flowers.

Oh, Speaking Of Being Back! A link I removed from my Blog Roll a while back because he was "giving up blogging" or something similar was Scott's Space. It appears he is back in a limited roll. NOW, I'm a happy camper. First off, I want Scott to know that the ONLY reason you were removed from the Blog Roll was because your Blog basically, didn't exist. I did check back often to see if you were back or not. Now, that it is apparent that you will be blogging on a semi-regular basis, you are back. What you Blog about is absolutely irrelevent. Not everybody on my BlogRoll writes about politics or current events. Those are the refreshing ones to go to on occasion. That's one of the reasons I go visit Jen Speaks, Steve's, MTPolitics, and Rita a BILLION times a day. For all those who wanted to WHINE about being removed, Scott has some advice you should heed. As some of my readers have noticed, I have cut back on the "Political Blogging" and started posting some more "Personal" items. There is a reason for this. As I posted a little earlier, I feel called into a ministry field which isn't very prominent in the church today. Specifically, helping frustrated men deal with it. That being said, I will give the reason I started Blogging in the first place. First off, I just wanted to rant. This is fun for me. I "do" the Internet for a living - Web Developer. As well, this is my hobby. This is great for me, my employer, and those of you who actually read this thing. My first goal in Blogging was to reach and maintain 50 unique hits per day. Any less, in my opinion, and I could receive no feedback. Any more, and, as Scott states on his site, you become "addicted to the hits". Yes, they can be "crack" to somebody who has a site. This is the ONE site I work on which I can forget about the hits and just concentrate on my hobby. THAT is the main reason I Blog. The second reason I Blog is that I feel called to one day write a book covering my ministry topic. Yes, there are plenty of them out there, but nobody seems to want to put things in laymen's terms. I don't declare that I am a genius, I just use a little common sense. Logic can take you a long way when you are trying to communicate a point. The writing part of I Am Always Right is used by me to work on sentence structure. Basically, I'm learning what gets people to comment. If you comment, then the writing worked. Third, it simply gives me something to do with downtime. Deal with it. Yes, my loyal readers, you are, for all practical purposes, a toy I play with. Now, people like Steve may actually enjoy that, but for the most part, he just may be even more odd than I am. Fourth, I've communicated through email and IM with some interesting people. I don't mean that in a bad way. I trade emails often with Jen and IM quite a bit with Michael and Timothy. My Yahoo IM (amoneemus) is online MOST of the danged day. If you REALLY wanted to comment to me, you could use that. I'm hardly ever too busy to chat for a few minutes. Now, for more on why some Bloggers post less than others, go read Scott's postings covering why he has scaled waaay back. Hey, I can respect that. As for the two guys who continually whine to me via email because their sites were removed from my BlogRoll, bite me. It's mine and your content started to get a bit too racy for me to link to. There is one site who links to me who has never been on my BlogRoll because of content. They don't whine to me. As far as my logs show, they even still read my site on occasion.

A Few New Additions New additions to my Blog Roll recently include: Trivial Pursuits - a little left, but a great read and very well written. Don't give Daniel too hard of a time, he at least means well - unlike some of the other more leftist type Blogs I've seen. Very intelligently done. Plus, I got tired of searching my bookmarks for it. Tiger - Now, it just needs stripes! That'd be cool. Sisters' Weblog - Yes, I know I told you this one already, but Susan asks some VERY interesting questions on occasion. Rants and Raves - mostly random, and sometimes strange, thoughts of Paul. Not THAT Paul. Sheesh. Go and enjoy.

Moving Up In The World As of right now, which is too stupidly late to be doing this, I Am Always Right has moved up and about to surpass "Slithering Reptile" in the Blogosphere Ecosystem. < Prideful >    < Foolishness >       Hey, it isn't me, it's natural selection. Cream rises to the top.    < / Foolishness > < / Prideful >

Yeah, yeah, yeah I know I haven't posted much this weekend, but it was too nice to worry about the computer. Yes, I have a laptop and am able to sit outside and do this, but that defeats the purpose of sitting outside. As I posted about yesterday, we spent tons of time at the Zoo on Saturday. Today, we went to church. We like our church (Cypress Bible Church), but as with most other churches, it has it's upside and downside. The one downside for me is the lack of an effective Men's Ministry. We attempted to work on it with our "Pastoral Staff Contact" - who is actually one of our Pastors - but seem to get nowhere when we utilize him. There is a small group of us which then, because of this, started a "Renegade Men's Ministry" team. Basically, we circumvent the Pastor who likes to throw road blocks up and we go straight to the Chairman of the Elders Board. Thus far, this has proven very effective. Yes, it ticks off the Pastor-dude, but if he won't help "feed" God's men, then, as the Bible says, he gets pruned. Actually, I have no clue what his actual role in the church is. I've only heard one sermon by him in my three years at this church. It was good, but a little lame on the excitement level. He's "old school" Lutheran, I believe. At least, he acts like it. To tell you a little about his roadblocks, I've got one little story. < Story > Steve Farrar was speaking at a church about a mile or two down the street from ours. We asked this Pastor if we could put this in the bulletin; as there are plenty of men who would like to go to this. His response was along the lines of "No, because it conflicts with something on our church calendar." I hear you asking what it was conflicting with. Specifically, a Pastoral staff training session. We have 1,000 men in our church. Seven of those men are Pastors in our church. I guess, in this Pastor's opinion, the other 993 men didn't need anykind of Men's Ministry leadership training. I took this to the Chairman of the Elder's Board. He gave me permission to market this using other methods. So, I did. Word of mouth was utilized mostly, but I also sent emails to many of the men in the church and then had them use word of mouth. All in all, our church sent approximately 50 men to the Steve Farrar conference. A nice little turn out, if I do say so myself. < /Story > We have to put up with this type of stuff everytime we find something for our men to do. I'm at my wits end, and this is why we started the "Renegade" group. It has proven very effective for the few men we have been able to convince that "it's okay, we are allowed to do this." I guess my question is this: Am I handling this thing wrongly? Personally, I don't feel like I am. I feel called to help men, in general, overcome the frustration of living "Christ-like". My basic beliefs on this matter revolve around a couple of simple theological tenets:

1. God sent Jesus to die BECAUSE of us - not necessarily "for" us. Yes, Jesus died for our sins. But, it was BECAUSE we sin that Jesus died. It was BECAUSE God loves us and wants us with Him, Jesus died. See where I'm going with this? 2. We, as people and individuals, are TOTALLY INCAPABLE of living Christ-like. It is BECAUSE we have been indwelt with the Holy Spirit that we have the capability to live Christ-like. 3. The frustration brought on with TRYING to live Christ-like is, in my opinion, a huge factor in men quitting the trying. 4. If more men realized that they are trying to live a lifestyle they are incapable of living, and start relying heavily on the Holy Spirit to guide them, less and less of those men would feel the everyday frustration which comes from failing

Now, that IS the Reader's Digest version of the ministry I feel called into, but you get the general idea. Some of the "events"/ministry ideas I have come up with:

1. A tail-gate party in August - to coincide with a Houston Texans pre-season game. Use this event to pitch the next one . . . 2. A Men's Barbeque and Praise Concert on the Church lawn in September - use this event to pitch the next one, which is . . . 3. The church-wide Men's Retreat in October.

In other words, MARKETING - a talent God has given me (if you want to call it a talent). Hey, God's the one who made me a Type-A personality and a likable person.

I Hate When That Happens I'm sitting here watching some stupid program on Noggin reading up on the news and I over-hear this:

Newest Rug Rat: Mommy, bye-bye? House Commander™: No baby, Daddy is fixin' to start cooking.

Quick side note: I didn't know I was cooking dinner, no-a-less was I "fixin' to start"

House Commander™: <singing> Next weekend is Mother's Day ... </singing>

At this point, she now has my undivided attention as she looks sweetly at the two-year-old - who is totally oblivious to the fact that 'Mommy Dearest' isn't talking to her - she's just looking at her.

House Commander™: What are you going to get Mommy for Mother's Day?

Man, I hate when that happens. Now I have to mark my calendar.

He's Baaaaack It appears that Owen Courreges' computer is fixed. This is a good thing. Now, GO READ HIS BLOG!

What A Great Day For A Daydream Today, here in Houston anyway, it was absolutely PERFECT. The temperature was in the mid to high 80's, partly sunny/cloudy (whichever it is), and a slight breeze. It was so nice, I woke up, saw how nice it was, woke up the House Commander™ and the Grunts™ and told them to get dressed. We headed out around 9am. First stop - McDonald's, for some breakfast. Next, the Houston Zoo. When we got to the zoo (the fourth time this year), we had a decision to make. Either we could have paid the $15 to get in (that's three tickets and a free 2 year old), or join the place. It only costs $60 for a twelve month family membership. With the membership, you get free, unlimited admission for two adults and two kids. Plus, you get a 10% discount in the gift shop. It only takes us 20 minutes to get there, so we decided that it was worth the membership. We are guaranteed to utilize this membership WAY more than the stupid Sam's Club one we've used three times in the past two years. Do the math. The previous trips to the zoo this year have cost us $15 per trip. That's $60. For another $60 today, we get to go as many times as we want to for the next twelve months. It's a good deal. We spent around five hours out at the zoo. We had a TREMENDOUS time. Maddi (the 2 year old) LOVES the animals. As a matter of fact, her favorite shows come on Animal Planet. Just ask her what the animal is, she'll know. It was great.

It's The End Of The World As We Know It The "White Cult" awaits doomsday which, according to them, is May 15th. Quick, go get the cameras.

What First Amendment? The City of Broken Arrow, OK, says that you can't speak of your religion while on their bus.

Interesting Observation Yes, I have one on occasion. This time, it concerns my BlogRoll. I noticed that, as anal as I am, I look in on the same Blogs everyday and ALWAYS in the same order. < GRATUITOUS LINKS >

Jen Speaks (yes, Jen, you are first, everytime. Feel proud) Little Tiny Lies (yes Steve, your second in my alphabetical order of doing things) mt politics (go figure, and I'm no where NEAR Montana) Res Ipsa Loquitur (because Rita ROCKS!)

After those three:

The Bayou City Perspective Bleeding Brain Bryan McAnally Homeschool & Other Educ. Stuff King's Kid Owen Courreges (his computer is in the shop right now) Right Thinking From The Left Coast

Everyday, in that order. I have now figured out why. They are updated frequently with good stuff. Some of the sites post nothing but just personal, journal type items (which is cool) and others are news. But the one over-riding constant: They are all updated regularly. Remember, if you are starting a Blog, that's important if you want a readership. < /GRATUITOUS LINKS >

McGyver? A 27 year old hiker was trapped by a boulder for five days. Having no hope for rescue, the man amputated his own arm with a POCKET KNIFE.

Band Names Poindexter and the Puddle Ducks Captain Don and the Seamen Cranial Discharge

Tony As 'Baghdad Bob' There are no conservatives within 100 pages of this site. No, not one!

Oh, This Is Genius Just at the time we are hearing about the Federal Government axing some airport screener jobs, they issue an alert in the general aviation community. They say it is not necessarily because of any specific threat. Then, why bother?

Critter Update I have received a comment or two as well as a slew of emails asking about our Fruit Bat/Mouse. Did we catch it? Nope. However, we have forced it to move on. Now, if it starves to death, that'll be my fault. If it dies some horrible, heart-attack inducing fate, that one won't be. Basically, we re-sheetrocked the hole in which he/she/it felt free to come and go as he/she/it felt like. Now, it is either relocated, stuck in the wall dying a slow death, or wondering where the light switch is. Of course, it could be all the above.

Surely ALL Tech Support People Aren't Like This For those who don't know, I am a Web Developer. Specifically, Director of Web Development for an ad agency here in Houston. As well, I am Director of Development for an upstart software company. I happened upon these positions because I know Web Development (I've been a developer and project lead for around a decade). I know how to manage the process, architect the structure, and develop the whole process and application. I am self-appointed "King of The Internet". Slowly, but surely, I am redesigning the Internet one page at a time. The last three weeks have been trying at both positions. Both companies use the same hosting "service". I won't say which one, because you may be a decision maker in your company and you have decided to use them, and, I understand how business works. We've been trying to set up something as simple as Miva Merchant. To say the least, the process has been far from painless. I spend countless hours per week on the phone with our hosting company because the stupid setup page(s) simply do not work. Everytime I go to set up a new account, I get "Language.lst not found". I call Tech Support. Then, I receive "Unable to verify license number". I call Tech Support and I get to listen to Tech Support tell me how it's a Sales question. I call Sales and listen to them tell me it's a Tech Support question. I call Tech Support and listen to them tell me it is a Miva Corporation question. I call Miva and listen to them tell me to call my hosting company's Tech Support. It's an endless cycle. So, yesterday, I got sick of it. I call the receptionist at the hosting company and ask for "somebody who is empowered to solve a problem." Who does she give me? The Tech Support Manager. I ask him to give me a reason not to change services. He gets his 3rd level Tech Support guy on the phone with us. This guy makes some "changes to the template". Great, solves the problems I was having. I come in this morning and try it one more time. "FATAL ERROR" appears in big, black letters. I call Tech Support. What a waste of ever-loving time. I don't have this kind of time. We are looking to be able to set up 3-10 of these things a WEEK and, at this rate, we'd be lucky to set up 25 a YEAR. Now, to top THAT off, I call into Tech Support this morning and get hung up on. Now, for me, this seals the deal. It's time to switch companies. If you guys know of one that can handle large amounts of traffic, an SQL backend, on a windows 2k box, with ASP/PHP/VB/C# capabilities, and with good amounts of ASP components installed, I'm all ears. Just got off the phone with the CEO of said hosting company and he, naturally, is none too happy with my call because (as I feel), the problem should have never reached him. Naturally, as well, I can only wait and see what his response is going to be. For an F.Y.I. for you, the dollar amount which would be tossed around per WEEK if these guys can handle all this will be roughly $50,000. That's per WEEK. We would EASILY be their largest customer. We are already their fastest growing one. You would think that that would be some incentive for them to actually do something.

What Is Wrong With These People? Is the city and state of New York trying to make people move away, or what? Now, the State of New York would like to add more taxes by taxing above and beyond those who are single and make over $100,000. What on earth makes them think of these things? Everyday, we hear people whine about "equal access", "equal representation", and "equal protection"; but, if you throw in "equal taxation" (the one which is supposedly guaranteed by law), people what to whine about "the rich aren't being taxed their fair share". I'm here to tell you that, if the rich were taxed "their fair share", the tax revenue for all levels of government would drastically drop. This is due, simply, to the fact that the "rich" (which the Democrats say are people making a combined income of $90,000 a year) pay around 60% of the taxes. Of course, they only make up around 10% of the population. Where's the equality in THAT? WARNING: If you live in states surrounding New York, be prepared for some new neighbors and some new jobs caused by those new neighbors bringing their businesses to you instead of New York.

If Bush Isn't Re-Elected . . . If Bush isn't re-elected, it is because of hair-brained measures like the one which was defeated today which would have allowed the CIA and the Pentagon to 'demand personal and financial records' on people in the U.S. It doesn't help that they buried this part inside another intelligence bill now in Congress. Earlier this week, Michael had posted in one of my comments about Orwell turning over in his grave (or, something to that effect). Now, I would have to agree with him.

War Never Solves Anything? In its annual report on terrorism, the State Department says the number of terrorist attacks has declined by 44%. Could it be the thought that the United States has the will, resolve, and might to handle the situation?

The State Department says there were 199 terrorist attacks last year, a 44 percent drop from 2001 and the lowest figure in more than 30 years. A total of 725 deaths were attributed to terrorism, a dramatic decline from the nearly 3,300 recorded the previous year, which included the victims of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States.

Large drops in both arenas. <Darth Vader>     Impressive </Darth Vader>

What's The Deal? Every year, on May Day, the morons communists felons no skills to get a job Anarchists want to 'protest'. These protest inevitably turn into something which causes the police to use force to calm the storm. This year, several cities worldwide were targets of their idealogical violence. In Berlin (imagine that - someplace which is "tolerant"):

A group of 200 anarchists hurled bottles and rocks and shot fireworks at police, who charged the group, arresting 97 of them. Violence in the area lasted three hours, with street barricades set ablaze and some shop windows smashed.

Personally, I'd call this terrorism and just do away with it. However, I'm not near as "tolerant" of imbeciles as the German government is.

Another Funny Baghdad Bob's New Job War Sponsor Veto This Elvis has been found [Link found somewhere on About.com's site ... who knows, or cares?]

Somebody's Got Too Much Spare Time You know, when you are looking for something to do, Lego art is always good.

Error 404: Page Not Found Click for your Iraq Information Minister Error 404 page.

How Socialists Think . . . If That's Possible Over in the Land of Idiot Socialists™, the people who review textbooks in California are taking political correctness a little too far for common-sense:

The textbook review process, which is routinely done in many states, is meant to eliminate or replace outdated words or phrases. But what’s happening in California has a lot of people wondering ? quite literally ? "Where’s the beef?"

Essentially, they are diluting history in the name of political correctness. Heaven forbid we actually utilize facts to teach our children.

That’s because many California textbooks will no longer feature pictures of hot dogs, sodas, cakes, butter and other kinds of food that are not considered nutritious. Nor will the books contain any phrases judged to be sexist or politically insensitive. The Founding Fathers, for instance, are now referred to as "The Framers," in an apparent effort to make them sound less male-dominant. And there will be no more reading about Mount Rushmore, where the faces of four U.S. presidents are carved into stone, because it appears to offend some American-Indian groups.

Yes, we can't have the MEN who designed and developed this nation refered to as MEN, because that may offend some women, I suppose. And, for pete's sake, Mount Rushmore is the NAME OF THE FLIPPIN' PLACE.

Snowman? No more. Melt that image and replace with Snowperson.

I seem to remember building snowmen and snowwomen. They didn't seem to have a problem with it, why should I?

Want to sail away on a yacht? No, again. It’s too elitist.

It's a yacht. A yacht is a big boat. One that, oddly enough, I can't afford. It doesn't offend me that some people can. They can have the storage, maintenance, and fuel charges as well.

And if you think grandpa is a senior citizen, guess what? You’re wrong. That’s demeaning, according to the new standards. He is now simply an "older person."

No, I'm an "older person". I'm "older" than my teenager. My mother? She's a senior citizen. Deal with it. On and on it goes. One stupid "rule/law/decision" after another. What on earth keeps California from slipping into the sea? And, can we fix that? Now, I think I'll start a PayPal account for my yacht. If everybody who reads this Blog donates just one measely dollar, I still can't afford a yacht. Luckily, I still wouldn't want one. Now, if you had one of these, I'm open to talk.

Democrats Hinder Women's Progress The Socialists Democrats have vowed to filibuster the nomination of Priscilla Owen to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. I guess they can't stand the idea of a woman on the bench. Hey, it fits their record. Don't forget that these are the same people who don't want a hispanic on the bench either. All in the name of inclusive justice, I assume.

U.N. Once Again Proving Its Irrelevancy Under protests from the United States, the United Nations has re-elected Cuba to the Human Rights Commission. You will remember that Cuba has just rounded up, arrested, and sent to prison those who oppose Fidel Castro. Once again proving they are incapable of being part of a "free world", the United Nations has shown just how irrelevent it is.

Thanks For Clarifying That John Kerry says that his "regime change" comment was meant light-heartedly. Senator Kerry, that was a bad joke at a bad time. One of the signs of a true leader (or, leader wannabe) is the ability to chose your words wisely and timely. I'm all for you criticizing the President, you have that right. However, when you compare that leader (a very popular, by the way) to a man like Saddam Hussein, you cross the line into sheer beligerence and unintelligible babble.

Sorry Sorry about the low posting the last few days. I've been in a "funk". Apparently, I've got the same "funk" that is just going around the Blog World. I've noticed that many, many of us have had slow days the last week or so.

Oh Geez, It Can Get Worse Just when I thought that cable T.V. has reached the bottom, they pull out some really special crap to keep me going. Now, Jen should really like the Reality TV Channel being tossed around.

File This Under: "It's About Time" The United States is pulling air operations out of Saudi Arabia. They are being moved to Qatar, which is a good/bad thing. I wonder what is going through the minds of the Dictators Leaders of Saudi Arabia at this time. Of course, we were only there protecting our interests in the region. Now that the main threat is gone, I don't have a problem with leaving their little part of the sand.

Dropping In Saddam's ex-Oil Minister has dropped in on coalition forces. He also happens to be "Dr. Germ"'s husband. Ex-regime officials listed in The Deck appear to recognize that it's over. Now, just tell us the where/what/when on Saddam.

Recasting Their Lots France and Germany seem hell bent on recasting their lots after Saddam took a resounding beating at the hands of the U.S., British, and Australian militaries. France and Germany are looking to get rid of N.A.T.O. and form their own defense alliance and are wanting to invite Russia into the mix. Countries not invited? The U.S., Great Britain, Spain, Netherlands, and Italy. You know, the ones who helped defeat the last God-knows-how-many-dictators which have risen up in their little corner of the world. Oh, as well, these are the same ones who banded together once again to defeat yet another one in Iraq. Obviously, France and Germany like running with the black-horse.

More on SARS Yes, Michael and I disagree drastically on this SARS issue. He has posted in previous comments that a 'leading scientist' of some kind has stated that there could be a billion deaths related to SARS before it's all over. Apparently, Mike may have been right. WHO says that "SARS has peaked everywhere but China. If there's ever a place where a billion people could die from SARS, it is definitely in China. That still doesn't make it pandemic, though.

Build A Better Mousetrap, Please As much as things change, things stay the same. This weekend totally ruled the world. It was an absolutely beautiful day here in Houston, Texas. Temperatures hovered in the 80s and humidity was fairly low. Some people were more than happy to work in their flower gardens, something I really never got into and my House Commander™ is not the monopoly holder on the Green Thumb™, this much I can attest to. Instead of working in any resemblance of a flower garden, we, along with our kids, tromped off to greener pastures than we'd be able to grow: the mall. We visited a couple of them this weekend. We didn't buy much, we just went to get out and about. We spent some time, as well, at our local TCBY shop eating crap we really didn't need; but we had a good time doing it. Our "fruit bat"/mouse condition seems to have been half-way solved. We found the hole we believe that "it" was coming in through and plugged it to test this theory. As well, if "it" decided to find another way in, we put down those stupid "mouse glue traps". If you have never seen these Marvels of Modern Man™, you are missing out one of the greatest inventions a woman has ever invented. I say a woman invented them because this is nothing a man would have; it defies logic to even say a man would have. These "glue traps" are basically a little, black (no racial comments implied), plastic tray with an eighth-of-an-inch of glue-type substance in them. The idea of the tray is rather ingenious. Ideally, your "furry creature/menace to society" will actually walk right over the top of this tray. In so doing, your "beast meant to be slain by a shining white (no racial comments implied) knight riding an even larger furry creature" will get stuck and become unable to escape. What happens to this "godless creature" continues to elude me. Apparently, "it" is supposed to die some form of peaceful death which is both humane and quick; however, I have serious doubts as to the feasibility of this feat. From what I can tell, your captive will get stuck, try in vain to escape, have its heart explode from the 300 panicked beats-per-minute, and die some form of horrible, heart-attack induced death. Apparently, this is better than a more instantaneous death caused by having its little neck snapped while going after a piece of cheese or coming in contact with a mild nerve gas. Now, why do I believe a woman invented this thing? Women are the more humane half of our species. They want to get rid of these "evil creatures" without causing them more suffering than they should really go through. My question is simple: Why on earth do we use these stupid things now? From my point of view - a full five feet, 11 inches over the aforementioned "beast" - this has to be the least humane for the cute, furry creature to die. Picture it a different way. There's a man who is a menace to your neighborhood. You don't want the gruesome sight of him hanging upside down from a tree with a half-severed neck when you come out to go to work in the morning. No, that would be gross and "inhumane". Instead, you devise a trap which will take care of him in a much more appropriate (in your mind) manner. The trap which is built is basically a five square foot cage. The man walks into it, unsuspectingly, and the door slams shut. He fights for hours, in vain because it is the perfect Man Trap™. Come morning time, he is physically exhausted and unable to fight any longer. He is a few short breaths away from death and his chest feels as if it's being stabbed from the over-exertion of his heart from his panic induced state. Then, when he is relinquished to the fact that his fate is sealed, and he sits back and awaits the release that only death can now bring, you turn on the light and scream (presumably, at the top of your lungs) - through a loudspeaker which increases the decibel level fifty-fold. This causes him to once again enter panic mode, which will, inevitably, speed the painful, heart attack induced death. Yes, I know, it is apple to oranges, but it's early, bear with me. Surely, we men can rise up and stem the tide of fear and panic which is the "Glue Filled, Better Than Sliced Bread Creature Traps" which our women have forced upon us.

Ted Nugent Rocks! Driving in this morning, I was listening to Talk Radio 950 KPRC, the Pat Gray Show. He was interviewing Ted Nugent, the Motor City Madman and staunch conservative. He is the author of God, Guns, and Rock & Roll and many rock music classics. As well, he didn't have very many nice things to say about all the celebrities who wish to drive this country into the ground. On the Dixie Blix Chicks, Ted had this to say:

"While I certainly support the right of the Dixie Chicks to say what they said, what they said was stupid and un-American."

Like I said, Ted Nugent Rocks! The same Ted Nugent who gave us a venerable lifetime of great music and stage shows is the same Ted Nugent who believes that "this experiment of self-government" is the greatest invention that God and man has ever invented. The same Ted Nugent who gave us such rock classics as Cat Scratch Fever (I won't say that I remember when this song was released because it will date me) is the same Ted Nugent who believes that tax money is being misappropriated and over-spent. This is the same Ted Nugent who was named Michigan's Conservationist of the Year for all the work he and the Nugent Band do planting thousands of trees a year. Yes, Ted Nugent is the consummate American. He believes that hard work and attainment of one's goals is paramount to being successful. Imagine that. A celebrity who actually thinks he worked to be where he's at. To quote Pat Gray (the best I can):

"It's a refreshing drink of water. It's like being out in the desert for with the temperature hovering around 147 degrees [I'm guessing Celsius] and not having had a drink of water for 6 weeks. If you were still alive, it's like looking up and seeing Ted Nugent with a bottle of water."

Yes, it is.

With Friends Like These With friends like the French, who needs enemies? Certainly not Sheryl Crow nor the United States.

France gave Saddam Hussein (search)'s regime regular reports on its dealings with American officials, documents unearthed in the wreckage of the Iraqi foreign ministry have revealed.

Gee, thanks.

Waiting Once Again Once again, the world is left waiting to see if this could be the smoking gun that the United States had been seeking.

Preliminary testing has detected chemical agents in a 55-gallon drum found in northern Iraq near missiles, warheads and suspicious vehicles, ABCNEWS has learned.

Hmmm. 55-gallon drums found near munitions which could deliver chemical weapons. I'm not going to speculate, as it may be too early, but we'll see what comes of this. Of course, I agree with talk radio's Chris Baker on this subject. I believe that we are just piling up all we're finding and are waiting for a diplomaticly opportune time to drop it in the lap of the world.

They've Been Brainwashed! Released Iraqi P.O.W.s seem to like what the United States is doing for their country. Great, now go tell all the Shiite Clerics and other bufoons.

Chanting "Saddam no, Bush yes," some 200 Iraqi prisoners of war were let go Sunday at the coalition's main internment camp in the desert near the southern port of Umm Qasr.

They must have been brainwashed by the 'Great Satan'.

Wearing a towel on his head as protection from the scorching heat and blowing sand, one smiling POW, Mahdi Saleh, told The Associated Press: "My mother will die when she sees me."

Of course, many of these P.O.W.s were taught that they would be executed by the U.S. forces. Once they figured out that they were safer with us than with Saddam, they changed their tune.

"I gave orders to my five men not to fight and we surrendered," he said, his eyes red from the sand. "Americans were coming for our own good. ... What has Saddam done for us? I'm 30 and I haven't enjoyed life -- no justice, no piece of land, no car."

What? You mean that living under the tyrannical Saddam Hussein wasn't all peaches-n-cream? Don't tell Hollywood this - they won't have a Hate America: The Movie™.

The men gave thumbs-up signs and peppered journalists with questions: "No more Saddam statues?" "No more military service?" "No more executions?"

Executions? But, I thought they were volunteers in Saddam's army. That's what Michael Moore(or-less) was telling us, wasn't it?

Hanging out a bus window, Mussalam Hassan, 22, shouted happily: "We did not fire a single shot!" He said he was taken prisoner in Rumeila on March 21, the second day of the war.

I think that this happened much more than reported. It's my own personal belief, so don't get in a tizzy.

As the men were being processed for release, a helicopter flew in with a 9-year-old Iraqi girl who had been treated for a heart problem on the USS Comfort, a U.S. Navy hospital ship. There was no immediate report of her condition, but she walked on her own. Her family brought the girl to Camp Bucca after the war started asking for medical help. Her father was given a job at the post, and he and the rest of the family were allowed to live here.

Oh, where's the trust? There's no way that they would have just walked up to the Great Satan's army, is there? The Left said that this wouldn't happen.

"When we heard Americans entered Iraq, we knew it was the end of Saddam," said Falih Rahim, 35, from Baghdad. He said he couldn't wait to see his three children and go back to his job as a cart driver.

A cart driver. He'd rather be a cart driver than live under Saddam's thumb. Find this hard to believe? My great-grandfather farmed the same three acres of land everyday for 75 years. 75 years. He didn't care. What he DID care about was that he was FREE TO DO WHAT HE WANTED. I think that this is what Mr. Cart Driver is thinking now.

Before Atheer Abdul-Karim, 25, joined his fellow Iraqis in singing a folk song on board a departing bus, he shouted out: "They paid us 17,000 (Iraqi dinars a month) to fight Americans. I would have killed Saddam for one dollar."

See, Ms. Pelosi, you were right -- we COULD have done it cheaper. We could have just paied Atheer a buck and been done with it.

I Was Wondering All this time, I have been wondering what will happen if some of these "Iraqi Exiles" started exerting authority THEY think they have but the U.S. doesn't. Well, I have had my questions answered.

An Iraqi exile who had proclaimed himself Baghdad's mayor and begun issuing directives to city workers was arrested Sunday by U.S. forces, who accused him of exerting authority he didn't have.

Now, we'll see who this action draws out into the open.

Toss It Toss the Six of Clubs out of your 'Deck of Death'. He's been nabbed and is in custody.