beware of the elephant in tall grass

2010-05-19T07:49:00.000-07:00

..........Family Values.

Mark Souder, a Republican congressman from Indiana, has announced that he will resign his seat over an affair with a female aide. Souder is a former House staffer who was elected to Congress on a "family values" platform in the Republican takeover of 1994. He won a tough contested primary challenge last week, 48 percent to 33 percent, and his Democratic opponent in the general election, Tom Hayhurst, held Souder to 54% of the vote in 2008.

"I believe that Congress must fight to uphold the traditional values that undergird the strength of our nation," Souder says on his official website. "The family plays a fundamental role in our society... I am committed to preserving traditional marriage, the union of one man and one woman."

Wow, this was a lazy post. Is it not a given that Republicans are far from what they claim to be? Conservative? Family oriented values?

2009-09-24T06:55:00.000-07:00

.........."I want my country back!"

It’s been the battle-cry as teabaggers take to the streets with their misspelled, angry signs. But back to WHAT?

While George W. Bush was in office, the median household income declined, poverty increased, childhood poverty increased even more, and the number of Americans without health insurance spiked. Oh well, at least it can't have been as bad as when that murdering rapist Bill Clinton was in office, right? Wrong.

Under Clinton, the median income increased 14 per cent. Under Bush it declined 4.2 per cent. Under Clinton the total number of Americans in poverty declined 16.9 per cent; under Bush it increased 26.1 per cent. Under Clinton the number of children in poverty declined 24.2 per cent; under Bush it increased by 21.4 per cent. Under Clinton, the number of Americans without health insurance remained essentially even (down six-tenths of one per cent); under Bush it increased by 20.6 per cent. But… but… Bush kept us safer! Well, except for that whole September 11th thing! And the anthrax attacks! And the time he partied while Katrina wiped out thousands!

2009-09-05T17:07:00.000-07:00

..........okay, check this out.

There were three Republicans and four Democrats on a large lifeboat and lost at sea. Each person has provisions for three days. The Republicans decide not to share and that they will only eat what is theirs. They worked for it and; therefore, the provisions belong only to them. The Democrats decide that the best way to survive would be to take a small portion of everyone's provisions and use it as bait for fishing. With that, the Democrats theorize they could all survive longer if everyone pitched in an amount of bait based on their food intake, they could catch some fish, and share in the good fortune. The plan worked. The Democrats used the bait, caught some fish, and everyone who chose to take part in the plan got along just fine. The Republicans, on the other hand, ate their own provisions and ran out in three days. The boat was spotted and everyone was rescued in six days. The Democrats recounted their ordeal and how they worked together to survive. The Republicans were just hungry and complaining about "those damn socialist Democrats".

2009-08-28T11:51:00.000-07:00

..........man's best friend!

Because a cat wouldn't put up with this.

2009-08-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

..........spelling is obviously not a priority in Rightwingnutia.

What if stupid people lived in and made up the overall population of the strongest country on the planet? Oops!

2009-08-25T11:54:00.000-07:00

..........welcome to Rightwingnutia.

What is Rightwingnutia, you ask? Well, simply speaking, it's a land were all the extreme right-wing nut jobs reside and push their message of hate throughout America. It's a land where compromise and free thought is discouraged. It's the land created by Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and Glenn Beck. To see what I'm talking about, check out this link; and click onto some of the supporter sites: http://www.teapartyexpress.org/. All hail to the Party of No!

2009-08-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

..........big business continues to screw Americans to the floor boards!

AIG's new CEO started his job by taking two weeks off. Oh, and by graciously accepting a $7 million salary: Benmosche, 65, who started yesterday as CEO and president of the bailed-out company, will leave for about two weeks, according to one of the people, who declined to be identified because the plans were private. Mark Herr, an AIG spokesman, said the New York-based firm wouldn’t comment on CEO travel. “It’s probably not a propitious time for an incoming CEO to begin with a vacation,” said Steven Seiden, president of New York-based executive recruitment firm Seiden Krieger Associates. Seiden said that while the absence won’t hurt the company’s financial position, “from a public relations standpoint it’s probably not the wisest thing to do.” BOTEITG Comment: American society will not survive. At some point, we will be the victims of ourselves and cease to exist. Our political system has failed us to the point of being unable to reach compromise worthy of the American Dream. Collapse will occur - it's just a matter of time. Well, our Founding Fathers had good intentions.

2009-08-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

..........Glenn Beck's 912 followers in desperate scramble to stop hemorrhage of sponsors.

As the uberpatriot’s weepy hate-a-thon on Faux continues to bleed corporate sponsors, his ovine acolytes heed the call --
Yesterday eight more companies, including retail giant Wal-Mart, dropped sponsorship of Beck's program. That makes over 20 companies that have pulled their advertising from Beck's show in the past 2 weeks. Rather than apologize or stop spewing divisive hate speech, Beck seems to be responding by tapping his vast, creepy army of "912" followers to wage a counterprotest. Joining Wal-Mart in hating America: GMAC Financial Services, Roche Pharma ,Progressive Insurance, Best Buy, Sanofi-Aventis, CVS, Travelocity, Geico, ConAgra, (Radio)Shack, Men’s Wearhouse, State Farm, Sargento Cheese, and Procter & Gamble.

2009-08-19T05:47:00.000-07:00

..........what have you done to "the party"?

I think the answer is simple. Simpletons like Limbaugh and Hannity are causing more and more citizens to move further to the left every time they open their quite large mouths. I didn't even mention Glenn Beck, as he's not even on the radar any longer. Glenn Beck has been declared a force that needs no opposition - he's just an idiot. I still find it hard to believe that educated adults in the United States of America can side with Rush Limbaugh. Let's face it, Limbaugh is the best ally that the Democrats have for the upcoming off-year elections. Keep talking Rush, and hurl more Americans into the tailspin of living in the land known as Rightwingnutia. A land without reason and only hate. Real Americans are tired of hate and would actually get something done for the good of all. Oh no, am I a Socialist? I want good for all!!!!

2009-08-18T06:12:00.000-07:00

..........there's obviously no spellcheck available in the WalMart "make your own political protest poster" section.

Sorry, we can't fix stupid.

2009-08-14T07:21:00.000-07:00

..........There is no antidote for stupid.

2009-07-09T18:23:00.000-07:00

..........New from the Urban Dictionary:

Pullin' a Palin

1. Quitting when the going gets tough; abandoning the responsibility entrusted to you by your neighbors for book advances and to make money on the lecture circuit.

2. Bizarre move that will damn ambitions for higher office.

2009-07-01T07:15:00.000-07:00

..........Rethuglican smackdown!

Ridge responded to Rush by challenging him to a fight:
So this morning, Ridge went back on Washington Journal, responding to Limbaugh’s rhetoric. “I’m so sick of Rush Limbaugh. He’s the reason we lose elections. He needs to get the hell out of the Republican Party. As far as I’m concerned, he isn’t a Republican anymore. The man’s running. The man’s hiding. He’s too scared to face me!”
Ridge continued his rant, threatening Limbaugh. “Meanwhile, he sits there in his ‘Southern Command Post,’ and destroys the Republican Party! I’d like to just have three rounds in a boxing ring with that guy so I could shut him up! I’m calling (sic) you out, Limbaugh. Let’s see if you have a big enough set of marbles to back up your crap!”

It's satire, sure; but Fox News took the bait. And, Fox being Fox; it seemed that no one had the brains to pick up a phone and ask Ridge if it were true. I bet all this was Obama's fault; in fact, the Clintons may be behind this, too.

2009-06-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

..........Mr. Bush, you're a winner!

Well, it took a little longer than the first one-hundred days of retirement; but, it's the outcome that's important.

2009-06-25T15:28:00.000-07:00

..........sometimes it just pays not to throw stones when living in a glass house.

2009-06-25T15:05:00.000-07:00

..........bomp, bomp, bomp.....another one bites the dust!!!

Yes, another Republican hypocrite bites the dust in the wake of his own finger-pointing! This is the "conservative" Mark Sanford who called for the impeachment of President Clinton based on an improper relationship and lying. Well, I'm not one to kick a guy when he's down; so, I think I'll just go hike the Appalachian Trail - the one in North America!

2009-06-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

..........The top ten list: "Right-Wingers From Whom Conservatives Should Be Demanding Apologies."

10) Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, for falsely claiming a hate-crimes bill that adds gay, lesbian, and transgender Americans to the list of protected groups would also protect those who commit incest, necrophilia, pedophilia, bestiality, and a host of other perversions.

9) Fox News' Sean Hannity, for hosting "Internet journalist" Andy Martin, who once called a judge a "crooked, slimy Jew, who has a history of lying and thieving common to members of his race."

8) Syndicated radio host Neal Boortz, for describing welfare recipients as "human parasitic garbage lining up to get their applications to loot."

7) Fox News conspiracy-theorist-in-chief Glenn Beck, for describing Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court as, "Hey, Hispanic chick lady! You're empathetic. ... You're in!"

6) MSNBC's resident cranky uncle, Pat Buchanan, for saying prior to Sotomayor's selection that he wanted Obama to pick a Supreme Court justice "who has real stature, impresses people" but thinking instead that Obama would pick "a minority, a woman and/or a Hispanic."

5) Syndicated radio host Jim Quinn, for repeatedly calling NOW the "National Organization of Whores."

4) Cincinnati-based radio host Bill Cunningham, for alleging that "Obama wants to gas the Jews."

3) Michael Savage (née Weiner), the third-highest-rated radio host in America, for saying "Obama hates" and "is raping America."

2) Fox News' irrepressible mega-star Bill O'Reilly, for repeatedly quacking that the legalization of gay marriage could lead to folks marrying ducks.

And No. 1, the conservative movement's de facto leader, Rush Limbaugh, for saying of Obama, "We are being told that we have to hope he succeeds, that we have to bend over, grab the ankles ... because his father was black."

More right-wing values that will make America stronger! Actually, I am smart enough to realize that these statements are made to gain ratings and earn money; are you that smart?

2009-06-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

..........some real Band Fail.

This is like those lines in South America that you can only see from the sky, but were designed by people who couldn't actually see the forms as they worked on them.

2009-06-16T16:20:00.000-07:00

..........it's not that I hate Republicans - it's hypocrites that I loathe!

LAS VEGAS – Nevada Republican John Ensign apologized for having an affair with a member of his campaign staff more than a year ago and says he remains "deeply committed" to his service in the U.S. Senate. In Las Vegas on Tuesday, Ensign called the affair "absolutely the worst thing that I have ever done in my life," and said he and his wife sought counseling and reconciled.
He didn't name the staffer or her husband, and took no questions after issuing his statement.
He called the woman and her husband "close friends," and said that close relationship at a difficult time in his marriage "led me to my inappropriate behavior."
Ensign was first elected to the Senate in 2000.

Now, let's see what the good senator said in relationship to marriage:

Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign took to the floor of the United States Senate today to defend the sanctity of marriage and urge passage of the Federal Marriage Amendment Act. “Marriage recognizes the ideal of a father and mother living together to raise their children,” Ensign said. “Marriage is the cornerstone on which our society was founded. For those who say that the Constitution is so sacred that we cannot or should not adopt the Federal Marriage Amendment, I would simply point out that marriage, and the sanctity of that institution, predates the American Constitution and the founding of our nation. Marriage, as a social institution, predates every other institution on which ordered society in America has relied.” Ensign, in his comments, noted that Nevadans had amended the state constitution to guarantee the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman. Ensign emphasized the need to preserve the will of Nevadans who voted overwhelmingly to preserve marriage as well as the need to preserve the will of the majority of Americans. “I am deeply concerned that a few unelected judges and some locally elected government officials have taken steps to redefine marriage to fit their own agenda,” said Ensign. “It is not right to mold marriage to fit the desires of a few, against the wishes of so many, and to ignore the important role of marriage.”

Thank goodness that we have good moral judgement in Washington!

2009-06-16T15:32:00.000-07:00

..........more displays of "values" by members the Rethuglican Party.

Over the weekend, a GOP official in South Carolina posted a comment to Facebook comparing Michelle Obama to an escaped gorilla. Now, in a second instance of Republicans playing the race card against the Obamas, Wonkette notes that a racist e-mail was sent out by a legislative staffer for Tennessee GOP state senator Diane Black. The staffer, Sherri Goforth, e-mailed this composite picture of the country’s 44 presidents, which represents President Obama with only a set of eyes.

Nashville Is Talking asked Goforth about the e-mail:

When I asked her if she understood the controversial nature of the photo, Goforth would only say she felt very bad about accidentally sending it to the wrong list. When I gave her a second chance to address the controversial nature of the email, she again repeated that she only felt bad about sending it to the wrong list of people.

“I went on the wrong email and I inadvertently hit the wrong button,” Goforth told NIT. “I’m very sick about it, and it’s one of those things I can’t change or take back.”

This has nothing at all to do with being "PC", as most of the Republicans constantly complain about. This has to do with basic respect for human beings. I really wonder how many Republicans do see something wrong with these incidents? If you don't see the problem, then you are the problem! The GOP, STILL workin' hard for good race relations in America!

2009-06-09T16:56:00.000-07:00

..........Mickey Edwards, former U.S. Congressman, expresses the downfall of the Republican Party on Faux Nooze:

The Republican Party that is in such disrepute today is not the party of Reagan. It is the party of Rush Limbaugh, of Ann Coulter, of Newt Gingrich, of George W. Bush, of Karl Rove. It is not a conservative party, it is a party built on the blind and narrow pursuit of power. Last year's presidential campaign saw the emergence of a Republican Party that was anti-intellectual, nativist, populist (in populism's worst sense) and prepared to send Joe the Plumber to Washington to manage the nation's public affairs. Over the last several years, conservatives have turned themselves inside out... They have turned to a politics of exclusion, division and nastiness. Today, they wonder what went wrong, why Americans have turned on them, why they lose, or barely win, even in places such as Indiana, Virginia and North Carolina.

2009-06-04T06:41:00.000-07:00

..........Cheney Acknowledges Passing The Buck On GM: Bush Didn’t ‘Want To Be The One Who Pulled The Plug’.

Tuesday, June 2, on Fox News, former Vice President Cheney admitted that the Bush administration deliberately decided to pass the buck on GM and let President Obama deal with the problem. Cheney admitted that he thought the “right outcome was going to be bankruptcy,” but that President Bush didn’t want to “be the one who pulled the plug.” Instead, the Bush administration put together a costly auto bailout to stem the tide until President Obama took office:

CHENEY: Well, I thought that, eventually, the right outcome was going to be bankruptcy. … And the president decided that he did not want to be the one who pulled the plug just before he left office.

VAN SUSTEREN: Why?

CHENEY: Well, I think he felt, you know, these are big issues and he wouldn’t be there through the process of managing it, but in effect, would have sort of pulled the plug on GM and that was one of the first crises the new administration would have to deal with. So he put together a package that tided GM over until the new administration had a chance to look at it, decide what they wanted to do.

VAN SUSTEREN: But it’s cost us billions to get — I mean, you know —

CHENEY: It has. … And now the government owns a big chunk of General Motors. That bothers me. I don’t like having government own those kinds of major financial enterprises. I think it’s — it does damage to our long-term economic prospects when we get government involved in making those kinds of decisions.

Republicans; working hard for the financial security of America.

2009-05-30T06:39:00.000-07:00

..........G. Gordon Liddy speaks.

Here's the latest comment by Rushthuglibot, G. Gordon Liddy concerning Supreme Court nominee, Sotomayor:

"Let’s hope that the key conferences aren’t when she’s menstruating or something, or just before she’s going to menstruate. That would really be bad. Lord knows what we would get then."

Really, there was nothing else he could have come up with?

2009-05-29T11:42:00.000-07:00

..........from a bunker hidden deep inside Devil's Tower, Wyoming, Spectre resurfaces to conquer the world.

2009-05-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

..........Antiques Roadshow and their SNAFU episode.

2009-05-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

..........the Party of NO using their time wisely.

In a furious effort to rebrand themselves (and distract America from actual fact and history) as something other than the Party of NO; the Rushthuglibot party works hard to rebrand Democrats:

Members of the Republican National Committee (Rush-Newt-Cheney) appear to have reached a compromise that would let GOP leaders avoid a possible dispute over a controversial resolution that calls on Democrats to re-name their party the “Democrat Socialist party.”

Republican window dressing, Michael Steele has come out against the resolution, calling it “not an appropriate way to express our views on the issues of the day.” One of Steele’s allies on the committee, Florida GOP chairman Jim Greer, told CNN the resolution is “stupid” and “ridiculous.” However, New Jersey committeeman David Norcross, one of the sponsors of the resolution, told CNN the language is being massaged so that Steele and others on the committee will be more receptive. The RNC, still working hard for progress of the American people!

2009-05-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

..........Colin Powell fires back at the village idiots!

“Rush will not get his wish and Mr. Cheney was misinformed – I am still a Republican,” Powell said in a much-anticipated rebuttal to the snarling psycho's suggestion two weeks ago that the retired general had left the party by endorsing Barack Obama last fall. Powell outlined his party bona fides, noting his votes for and services under a string of Republican presidents, and said it was not up to Cheney and Limbaugh, (two draft-dodgers) to determine who belonged in the GOP. “Neither [Cheney] nor Rush Limbaugh are members of the membership committee of the Republican Party,” Powell said. "Their members aren't members of the membership committee. If they even have any." Powell suggested that there were a number of moderates in the party who shared his concerns but were hesitant to speak out “because if you are vocal you’re going to get your voice mail filled up and get lots of e-mails like I did.”

2009-05-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

..........problem solved!

"What problem", you ask? The high school dropout problem. We can fix this with some simple legislation. First, you apply a fee for all students, regardless of age, who miss classes over the limit set by attendance policies. Charge a fee of $25 per absence that is above and beyond the limit. These fees will be charged to the student's parent/legal guardian. The only exceptions will be the extended illness clause, which will be substantiated by a physician; who will also be held liable for $5,000 per absence if it found that they forge a medical excuse for student absence. Now, let's talk about grades and classroom performance. All students are required to pass the classes they take. A letter grade of "F" for any class will result in a $500 penalty per class, and charged to the student's parents/legal guardians. And now, dropping out of school. Upon dropping out of school, a student will understand that his/her drivers license will be suspended in every state nationwide until the dropout reaches the minimum age of 25 years. It will also be understood that a high school dropout will immediately be removed from their home and taken into federal military custody. From that point, they will be drafted into US military service for a period of at least six years. If the dropout is age 16-18, he/she will be sent through a generic military basic training; while at the same time, be required to complete classes necessary for graduation from high school. The dropout will receive no pay for their military service until graduation from high school level courses is achieved. Upon graduation from high school courses, the military will determine the branch of service and job specialty this dropout will pursue. After serving their military time, the dropout will be released back into American society. The moral of the story; "dropping out of high school will have consequences that would motivate students to remain in school and hold fast to the liberties for which so many have given their lives."

2009-05-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

.........."teacher says to always aim 'center mass'".

Another enrollee at the Donald H. Rumsfeld Elementary School enjoying the new playground equipment provided by the NRA.

2009-05-15T11:05:00.000-07:00

.........."forget the Sith Lord stuff - I am the powerful and mighty Oz!"

2009-05-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

..........GOP icon declares his party "brain dead"

This is priceless: Federal judge Richard A Posner -- the first judge appointed to the bench by President Ronald Reagan in 1981 -- is feeling all verklempt:

My theme is the intellectual decline of conservatism, and it is notable that the policies of the new conservatism are powered largely by emotion and religion and have for the most part weak intellectual groundings. That the policies are weak in conception, have largely failed in execution, and are political flops is therefore unsurprising. The major blows to conservatism, culminating in the election and programs of Obama, have been: 1. The failure of military force to achieve U.S. foreign policy objectives; 2. The inanity of trying to substitute will for intellect, as in the denial of global warming; 3. The use of religious criteria in the selection of public officials, the neglect of management and expertise in government; 4. A continued preoccupation with abortion; and 5. Fiscal incontinence in the form of massive budget deficits, the Medicare drug plan, excessive foreign borrowing, and asset-price inflation. By the fall of 2008, the face of the Republican Party had become Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber. Conservative intellectuals had no party.

2009-05-03T16:30:00.000-07:00

..........I call this picture; "The Republican Party meets reality!"

Special Note: an imploding building would have worked, too. The biggest Republican fear - what if Obama's financial recovery plans work? Save us Rush, you're our only hope!

2009-04-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

..........and the decison to pick Joe Biden for VP was................?

2009-04-30T11:07:00.000-07:00

..........this falls into the "interpretation" or "implication" fail category.

2009-04-30T10:54:00.000-07:00

..........oh no, someone painted right over the North Carolina General Assembly!

2009-04-29T17:32:00.000-07:00

..........what do you get when you cross a toddler with a trip to a Mexican petting zoo? SWINE FLU PANDEMIC!!!!

2009-04-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

..........so who came up with this one?

An Air Force One lookalike, the backup plane for the one regularly used by the president, flew low over Manhattan on Monday morning, accompanied by two F-16 fighters, so Air Force photographers could take pictures. But a lack of awareness about the flyover led to the evacuation of several buildings in Lower Manhattan and Jersey City, and perplexed officials at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and other authorities were inundated with calls from anxious ferry passengers, office workers and residents. Everything had been cleared with the Mayor's office; but I guess telling the people in these buildings would have just made too much damn sense!

2009-04-23T17:16:00.000-07:00

..........message.

I'm not sure if I'm going to post anymore. Have a great weekend, week, month, and year!

2009-04-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

..........back to square one.

Recently, I've been arguing with myself. This same argument has been going on for years, and I want to solve the problem and put it to rest. It concerns my religious beliefs and doctrines of Christianity. Every time that I seem to come to terms with "forgiveness", our minister brings up the topic again, and I really don't know quite where I stand. When I say the Lord's Prayer, I always cringe when I get to the part; "And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." Taken in context, that's a pretty tall order. My interpretation is that we are asking God to forgive us our sins as we have forgiven those who have wronged us. I don't know about you, but there are a lot of folks through the years that have done wrong towards me and I don't know if my brand of forgiveness is good enough. I don't even know that I know what true forgiveness on the human level is. Man, I'm getting myself even more confused! Is forgiveness not taking revenge against those who have wronged you? Is forgiveness a welcoming of those who have wronged you back into "the circle of trust" (as Jack Burns of Meet the Parents would say)? Is forgiveness also forgetting? If we truly forgive, do we also forget? My feeling about the whole thing is that I caution against the same thing happening to me again via the original offender. I guess that any answer that I would get here on earth would be an interpretation. In the end, I know that I have often asked God to forgive me of the same sin on multiple occasions; so, that says to me that if God forgave me once, He also welcomed me back with the possibility of having the same thing happen again. Did I just answer my own question?

2009-04-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

..........those damn Liberals!!!

How can I be expected to survive on $20 million? These people have no idea what it is like to be "needy". I told them that the weatlh would trickle-down to everyone - I just didn't tell them how fast and in what proportion - stupid, non-Republican suckers!

2009-04-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

..........in Republican nooze...............

Just in from the Alaskan Front:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is out, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is in as keynote speaker at a Republican dinner this spring. Palin, the party's 2008 nominee for vice president, had been slated to address the annual Senate-House Dinner in Washington on June 8. The dinner, sponsored by the House and Senate Republican campaign committees, is one of the GOP's biggest fundraisers....A spokeswoman for Palin denied that she had ever confirmed her role as a speaker, even though the NRSC and the NRCC issued a joint press release two weeks ago trumpeting her appearance. News update for Sarah - "YOU'RE IN SECOND PLACE AGAIN!!!!" Ah, life in the trailer park!

From the Newt News Front:

Newt Gingrich has converted to Catholicism. He apparently has the zeal of the converted because he is already attacking Obama for having anti-Catholic values. He tweeted it out the other day about Obama giving the commencement speech at Notre Dame:

"It is sad to see notre dame invite president obama to give the commencement address Since his policies are so anti catholic values."

Newt has been divorced twice, married three times and left one of his wives when she was in the hospital with cancer. Stop me when I get to pro-Catholic values. Newt is also in favor of the death penalty, which is also against Catholic values. How come no one ever protests that?

2009-04-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

..........bath time at the Octomom's house.

2009-04-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

..........my only question is; "which one was here first?"

2009-03-31T07:19:00.000-07:00

..........our economy in a bag!

Well, I knew it was coming. The North Carolina Legislature is in session and developing the state budget for 2009-10. And as expected, the public school system is bending over and preparing for major cuts. The cuts won't come in the way of unnecessary testing, funding for character education, or the program where we encourage kids not to smoke; but, many of the cuts are coming straight from the classroom, and on the backs of the teachers. At this point, if you are a Republican nut job and in favor of charter schools, I invite you to go drown yourself and put me out of my misery! Anyway, one proposal that will probably pass is the raising of class sizes. By raising class size by one student, the savings are in the millions. Why does that make such a difference? Because, by raising class size you can reduce the number of teachers needed! What a damn slap in the face! There is also a plan that is still in session that will raise class sizes by three students. That scenario would get the savings in to a surplus! Another option is to increase the employee contribution to the retirement system from 6% to 9%. My health care premiums are also going to rise. The reason is to compensate for the investment of the retirement system in our outstanding stock market - thanks Republicans! Yes, and don't even argue with me. "Invest in the stock market and make 'Murika stronger!" I think the post picture speaks a thousand words! Oh, it's easy to blame it all on Bush - he's gone now! With a total of eight years of very little, if any oversight; and deregulation of almost everything, it is the fault of the Bush mis-Administration. As a result of this mess, I'll bring home about $150 - $200 less next year to support my family; and everyone who has children in the public schools will be effected by the cuts. With all that being said, I'm proud to announce that the public schools will become even more accountable (through useless testing).

2009-03-24T07:15:00.001-07:00

.........."tying up some loose ends."

I think the post title just about sums up the rest of my career in teaching. I really do enjoy working with the band students. I enjoy the day-to-day class work, the extra rehearsals, the performances, and all the trips we take. I have truly been blessed to have led my working life as a junior high/high school band director. There are stories that I could tell that would make you both laugh and cry. The experiences seem to have little boundaries and certainly no end. So, why am I leaving the profession for retirement? Sometimes I ask myself the same question; but I always seem to come back to the inequity of it all. You see, teaching music in the public schools is a constant battle of justifying the program's mere existence on a daily basis. It's a thankless job, at best. I constantly being a cheerleader of sorts to my students, keeping their spirits high when there adoring public lets them down. Since we have been at our new consolidated high school, this band has traveled to every state in the Southeastern United States, we've played at theme parks, we've marched in parades and field show competitions in places that the citizens of our one-horse community would never dream of going. We've performed at the Nokia Sugar Bowl, the FedEx Orange Bowl, the Toyota Gator Bowl, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, and the BCS National Championship Bowl (NOLA). Our performance record has also included many, many steel drum band performances and parades galore. During the past ten years, I've taken the concert band to state concert contest on seven separate occasions. Of those seven contests, our band has scored an honor rating of "Superior" a total of five times. One would think that my students would be praised for their accomplishments; but, it very rarely happens. I even asked a local board of education member this year (who is a band parent) to have the board recognize the marching band at one of their meetings for their outstanding accomplishments - it never happened! We received our latest state "Superior" at concert contest just this past Thursday, and the principal has not even asked me about the trip. I had to announce the accomplishment myself, via email and school PA. It's no wonder that my students feel little worth in what they work so hard to do. It's no wonder why I'm ready to throw in the towel as well. Our superintendent has never been to a band concert or marching band event (that didn't involve a ballgame). Our principal always has an excuse the day after concerning why he wasn't able to attend. The board of education members have no problem coming to athletic events, but concerts just seem to be too much for their schedules to allow. Yes, teaching music in the public schools is a thankless job. I don't want the praise for myself - I get paid for what I do, and I get my rewards every time that I hear the ensemble sound a pitch! These students feel worthless; and as a result, the more successful we are, the smaller the participation in our ensembles. We're dying a slow, agonizing death in music education. Some will attempt to come to the rescue; but to no avail. I've pointed out these problems and solutions to the problems, to all levels of administration for a solid ten years - I have completely fallen on deaf ears. An adult who works here at the high school said to me this morning; "wow, your band really did well at contest!" Read that again, your band did well at contest. I quickly corrected her; "don't you mean, 'our band?'" She gave me the blank stare, and we parted ways. My case rests!

2009-03-21T06:43:00.000-07:00

..........congratulations!

This may sound a bit conceited, but I assure you, it's not intended to be such. I am actually sending congratulations to my students, as we scored a North Carolina State Bandmasters Association, Honor Rating of "Superior" at band contest earlier in the week. The state band contest is much like an EOC (end of course test) for band classes. It's not required that we attend the contest, but many band directors choose to do so. I had a great conversation with Josh the other night concerning the overall worth of band contest as a teaching tool and if it was really necessary to compete with music. There is a definite argument by many of our fellow directors that contest does not give the desired results in the long run, and it's only a show of arrogance among many directors to earn awards rather than advance musical skills. Our conclusion was that the band contest festival is an outstanding teaching tool that pushes both the director and the students to exceed what would normally happen. We use this opportunity to "pull out all the stops" and show the very best that we have as teachers and performers. There is also a bleed-over into other pieces of music that we prepare following the band contest. Both students and directors use the same techniques and learn others through band contest preparation that will definitely aid as our ensembles progress. I always learn something that I can do better when involved in band contest preparation. I ask questions of other directors, read more seriously from professional periodicals, listen more, and learn more about how to bring out the strong points of an ensemble; as well as, to hide the weak points. No two ensembles are alike and that makes the preparation an exciting challenge. At any rate, the 2009 band contest was a great success for us. In the past four years, we have attended state band contest on three occasions (we didn't go in 2007 due to a personnel SNAFU that involved student suspension, and the ultimate destruction of our ensemble). In those three attempts, we have been 100% with "Superior" ratings - that's something that I'm quite proud of. Again, that's not a conceited statement; but that of a teacher who is proud of his students' accomplishments and the growth he has made as a teacher. Teaching is a privilege, and teaching music has more magical moments that you could ever imagine.

2009-03-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

..........questions we should be asking.

Why were GM and the UAW forced to renegotiate contracts, but AIG is bound by the letter of the law?

When the Bush White House agreed to bail out General Motors and Chrysler, it required those companies to renegotiate their labor contracts—that’s right contracts—and they are doing just that to keep their federal largess.

The Obama Treasury, headed by Tim Geithner, is forcing the terms of that deal on the United Autoworkers.

Why did Secretaries Paulson and Geithner not require the same at AIG? Remember, Geithner was president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank and a key player when financial giants like Citigroup and AIG were being bailed out with the taxpayers’ cash. Those bailouts continue, with easy terms for the bankers and their contracts, on Geithner’s watch.

Gee, would Geithner's ties to Goldman Sachs have anything to do with this decision?

2009-03-12T11:57:00.000-07:00

..........be careful not to burn bridges during your career!

2009-03-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

..........the ability to communicate!

Maybe I should have titled this post, "Not a Political Post". Surprised? Well anyway, this post comes from my lunch today. I go into the cafeteria following my symphonic band class, get my tray of fine school chow, and head for the teacher section in the cafeteria. Oh no, there's one table with people (I'm using the term "people" in the most loose sense of the word) sitting at it, and they're all coaches or student teachers in P.E. They see me coming and begin sliding over to make a place for me. They were watching students pass and commenting on "how much of an athlete" that kid appears to be. Well, that's okay, it's always a challenge to find students for your program; but then the conversation shifted to the scores and play-by-play of the latest games. Do these people talk about anything else? I made my move. I looked at one of the coaches and asked; "so, how's the family doing?" The whole conversation stopped, they all looked right at me as if I had lobsters crawling all over me, and said nothing. The guy I asked looked confused as well, but did answer; "fine". After a brief pause in the action, they conversation quickly shifted back to sports highlights. What's the deal? Are these people that narrow? I really think that's all they know - what a sad state of affairs! It's fun to "talk shop" with other band directors sometimes. I have some great conversations will other band directors concerning our programs, but I just can't stand to let music be my only focus. The moral of the story - coaches are stupid!

2009-03-03T07:06:00.000-08:00

.........."you weak minded fools! Obama is using an old Jedi mind trick on you all."

Rush the Hutt speaks to all Republicans to "take the country back." If the Republicans take the country back, will it be different from when they had it prior to 2006? "Weak minded fools" is right!

2009-03-03T07:05:00.000-08:00

..........back from the depths and speaking at the CPAC.

2009-03-01T18:25:00.000-08:00

..........so, what's the common bond?

History doesn't lie. The Republicans of today are going to attempt to charge that FDR was responsible for the greatest depth of the Great Depression. As a matter of fact, the Great Depression was in full swing in 1929; a full 4-year term before FDR was even elected. Now, let's examine the common bond of some of America's greatest financial woes. Republicans believe in business and that business leaders will make America prosper with very little, if any, government regulation. You see, in their eyes, business leaders in America are honorable sorts who will gain success and give us all the chance to be successful as the fruits of their labors will "trickle-down" to the middle class. The latest debacle in our financial system has proved that failed Republican government deregulation policies, less than honorable financial leaders, and little government intervention in business affairs has left us in the worst financial mess since 1929. What is the common bond in both our current financial crisis and the Great Depression? Remember, this is history. Prior to Democrat President FDR taking office in 1933; he was proceeded by Republican Presidents, Herbert Hoover and Calvin Coolidge. Even when knee-deep into the Great Depression, FDR made cuts in some of his New Deal social programs towards balancing the national budget well before the beginning of WWII in 1941. Prior to Democrat President Bill Clinton taking office in 1992; he was preceded by Republican Presidents, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Bill Clinton inherited a Recession and was still able to present a balanced national budget before leaving office, and with a $559 billion surplus. Prior to Democrat President Barrack Obama taking office in 2009; he was preceded by Republican two-term President, George W. Bush; and inherited the worst economic crisis since that of the Great Depression. Did I state anything that was incorrect? As a matter for the record, are Republicans really for fiscal conservatism in America?

2009-03-01T18:04:00.000-08:00

..........no further caption required!

2009-02-27T11:24:00.000-08:00

..........Steele offers Jindal 'slum love'.

In an interview with Curtis Sliwa on ABC Radio last night, the host and RNC Chairman Michael Steele jokingly linked Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal to the film "Slumdog Millionaire." Steele offered Jindal "slum love. Here's the transcript:

SLIWA: Now, using a little bit of that street terminology, are you giving him any slum love, Michael?

STEELE: (laughter)

SLIWA: Because he is — when guys look at him and young women look at him — they say oh, that's the slumdog millionaire, governor. So, give me some slum love.

STEELE: I love it. (inaudible) ... some slum love out to my buddy. Gov. Bobby Jindal is doing a friggin' awesome job in his state. He's really turned around on some core principles — like hey, government ought not be corrupt. The good stuff ... the easy stuff.

Talk about race baiting! And what's the deal with the Chairman of the RNC doing using a term like "friggin'" in a national interview? Is this an attempt to make the GOP into some sort of hip-hop organization? If so, it's not workin' for 'ya!

2009-02-25T11:54:00.000-08:00

.........."no Bobby, only the winners get to go to Disney World!"

BATON ROUGE -- After giving one of the biggest speeches in his time as a politician, Gov. Bobby Jindal is heading to Disney World. Jindal's office says the governor and his family leave for the Orlando vacation resort today. The vacation comes one day after Jindal gave his first televised speech to the nation, offering the Republican Party's response to President Barack Obama's address to Congress.

Did you hear this speech? What a debacle! If this is the best that the GOP can muster to rebut a Democratic Presidential speech, then the Republican Party is in real trouble!

I think that the greatest fear of the Repbulican sheeple is that this stimulus plan may work. My gosh, what if it does? Will all the the Republicans vanish? No, but Bobby Jindal certainly will.

2009-02-20T11:02:00.000-08:00

..........so, did the people driving the cars learn to drive in the Army, or did the Army personnel learn to drive as civilians?

2009-02-19T11:15:00.000-08:00

..........you never know what's in the mind of a clown!

2009-02-19T11:00:00.000-08:00

..........Support for Stormy Daniels’ run against David Vitter (R-LA) for his Senate seat is “swelling”.

It is fitting that a porn star may run for David Vitter's Senate seat. Check out the link - it's a true story!

2009-02-19T10:57:00.000-08:00

..........Quick! To the Wayback Machine!

The cover of Time, 2/15/1999.

2009-02-17T15:53:00.000-08:00

..........did you know that there is a CEO of Public Schools in North Carolina?

There is a new position here in North Carolina that was prompted by a private study of how to improve our public schools. Bill Harrison is the newly appointed CEO of North Carolina Public Schools. Everyone who is employed by the NC Dept. of Public Instruction ultimately answers to him, even the State Superintendent of Schools. This has become such a controversy, that the State Superintendent of Schools, newly elected June Atkinson, has asked the NC Legislature to define what her job actually is? It should be interesting to see how this situation plays out. North Carolina, like many states, is going to suffer from an overwhelming budget deficit for the coming school year. No doubt, there will be many, many cuts in programs (many of which need to be cut; i.e. No Child Left Behind), and cuts in personnel. Hopefully many of the cuts will occur in useless administration jobs. Many of the cuts are going to come from the local educational administrations. Did you know that all arts positions in North Carolina (like band directors) are fully locally funded? It's going to be an interesting discussion via the new CEO - I'll keep you posted.

2009-02-17T15:00:00.000-08:00

..........fightin' the Cold War.

I don't know if you're ever able to get all your personal stuff organized at home. You know, where are all those old pictures, etc.? Well, in an attempt to do just that, we recently came upon some old photos. Here's my graduation photo from the US Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, GA, August, 1984 (I was 25 yrs old here). Being Infantry Soldiers, we had our photos made in our Battle Dress Uniform; and, because our Drill Sergeant told us to do so! We trained to fight against those who fought based on the Soviet doctrine of warfare. That encompassed more of the world than one might think. I still remember the plastic pop-up targets we fired our M-16's at - they were green guys with furry hats and a red star right on the forehead! We called them "Pop Up Charlie". I was fortunate enough to be trained by many veterans of the Vietnam War. These guys knew what they were doing, and we definitely respected what they had to show us. Unlike many who served before and after me, I never was deployed to an actual conflict. Prior to the first Gulf War, my unit was sent to Desert Warfare School at Fort Erwin, CA for three weeks. Just before the ground war began in the Gulf, my unit was put on alert. We had the Army lawyers there to make out wills for those who didn't have them, we serviced and packed all our equipment, and we had all our paperwork for deployment ready to go. Being mechanized infantry, we were convinced that we certainly would be activated. The ground war went so well, that we got the message to "Stand Down" almost as quickly as we were alerted. My military service was all peacetime army. I have no doubt that many of the soldiers I trained at Fort Benning (when I was a Drill Sergeant), are combat veterans by now. The training I received in the military greatly shaped who I am today. It's interesting to see a photo that takes you back to such an interesting time in your life.

2009-02-15T16:24:00.000-08:00

..........weekends are great!

I just love spending the weekends with my family - there's absolutely nothing that beats these special days! For me, one of the best parts of the weekend begins on Friday afternoon after school is dismissed. I've got to back up one step before I go into that. I had one of the best weeks of school that I've experienced in recent memory! Both the symphonic and steel drum bands were at their finest last week. Not one day passed that we didn't make some great headway towards our performance goals. I'm working harder now than at any other time in my career. I don't mind the work; and in fact, I enjoy it quite a bit when I'm not having to deal with some idiot adult that is so hell bent on pushing their own agenda, that it gets in my way. Well, enough of that. The end result was that the students rehearsed brilliantly last week, and work was a blast! My time on the podium is very rewarding under these circumstances, and teaching music is a distinct privilege for me. Now, back to the weekend. After school on Friday, I met Lisa at Bohemia, were we sat quietly and sipped an outstanding cup of coffee for about an hour. While we were there, a couple of my students came in and sat with us. They are both pretty good kids who expressed the same enthusiasm that I had for our week of rehearsal. After coffee, we got some takeout and went home for the evening. When we got home, Megan had already arrived from college for the weekend, and we stayed up until about 10:30 watching TV, talking, playing with the dog, and just sharing some laughs. Sounds dull? It was heaven to me. Having both the girls home and sharing time with Lisa and them is about as good as it gets. Saturday allowed me to sleep in until about 8:00 AM. I made some coffee, watched some news, got ready, and went uptown to pick up some flowers I had ordered the week prior for Valentine's Day. I got my flowers and cards, gave them to all the girls in my family, we had some breakfast together, and then began our individual Valentine's Day plans. Megan went with her boyfriend to Winston-Salem and had an early dinner at Red Lobster. Lauren went to the movies with some friends, and Lisa and I headed to Winston-Salem for an early dinner at Bonefish Grill. All the restaurants were packed. We arrived at Bonefish around 4:00 PM, to find that we got the last available table for walk-ins. Wow, I had some good luck! I'm still amazed. After dinner, we went to Krispy Kreme and got some doughnuts (all the doughnuts on Valentine's Day are shaped like hearts). We then did a little shopping and went home, where we enjoyed some quiet time of our own. On Sunday morning, I slept in until 7:45, made some coffee, had a doughnut, and got ready for church. I went to church and came home to have lunch mom and the rest of the family. Mom still enjoys cooking Sunday lunch for us all. Today we had country ham, biscuits, pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, and cooked cabbage. During the day, we just sat around and enjoyed each others company. We talked, watched some TV, and made plans for the week. Lisa made a special beef roast dinner for the girls. After dinner, we packed Megan up for her journey back to college; and Lisa left for a workshop that she has out of town tomorrow morning. It may snow tonight, so she left early and is spending the night there. I guess all that sounded rather boring, but it was the best time that I could imagine for a weekend. Nothing major happened, we didn't go to a big sporting event or concert, and the thrills were minimal. There's nothing more important than family to me. Sitting here, I realize how very blessed I am on so many different levels. I have a very good job, a church that provides me with spiritual guidance, and a family that is second to none. I love my weekends, when I can settle down and appreciate all that my life holds. For all these things in my life, God is to be glorified!

2009-02-11T11:50:00.000-08:00

..........one small push by a man, one giant leap for mankind!

2009-02-11T11:25:00.000-08:00

..........sounds like someone doesn't want to lose the straw polls!

(CNN) — Sarah Palin will not be attending the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington later this month, her office confirmed to CNN Tuesday.

The Alaska governor had been expected to serve as the headline attraction at the three day event, which is also scheduled to include conservative icons like Newt Gingrich, Rush Limpbaugh, and Ann Coulter. The presidential straw poll conducted at the annual Washington gathering is widely viewed as a reliable bellwether of conservative support. Several of the GOP’s past — and potentially future — presidential hopefuls are also slated to address the gathering, including Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul.

Palin spokesman Bill McAllister did not give a reason for the governor's decision, but did agree with one organizer's explanation that it would be difficult for the governor to visit in the middle of the state’s legislative session.

This whole affair looks like a Sith rally. I wonder if there will be Storm Troopers? I've made a conclusion concerning one of my most basic political beliefs. It's not Conservatives that I despise, it's Republicans; and there is a vast difference in the two. For example; Rush Limpbaugh, Newt Gengrich, and Ann Coulter are Republicans. Glenn Beck is a fair weather Republican, so we won't even put him in the fight. He's nothing but a money-grubbing weasel with a 5:00 PM Faux News show (too bad there's no one home at 5:00 PM to watch, Glenn). It's a sad thing, indeed, to even imagine that a political party in the United States of America would allow someone like Rush Limbaugh to be one of the most powerful influences of their cause; and like it or not, he is that powerful. I think the closest person to being a true Conservative is Mitt Romney. I could vote for him without reservation if he could distance himself from the above mentioned; but to do that, he would have to declare himself a Democrat or Independent. Ah, politics in America!

2009-02-07T07:02:00.000-08:00

..........does this scare the crap out of anyone besides me?

No, there won't be any name-calling and finger-pointing from me - let's just get together on something and see if we can fix the problem. The scariest part of the chart is the fact that the green line has not bottomed out yet. I hope the bottom is soon to come and a recovery on the horizon. This is the time for all Americans to come to the aid of their fellow citizens and do something for the collective good of all. I just hope that American business owners will just hang in there and not run. Sure, it'll be a long, hard road; but I know Americans can pull this off! Our failure would be our own decision not to stand and fight through this situation.

2009-02-07T06:16:00.000-08:00

..........IOKIFYAR!

Andy Card, former member of the Bush Team, has made a big deal out of President Obama not wearing a suit coat while doing business in the Oval Office. Card says it's disrespectful not to do so. I guess Mr. Card may have spoken too soon.

2009-02-06T17:20:00.000-08:00

..........loyalty.

The concept of loyalty is an important part of ethics. Plato originally said that only a man who is just can be loyal, and that loyalty is a condition of genuine philosophy. The philosopher Josiah Royce said it was the supreme moral good, and that one's devotion to an object mattered more than the merits of the object itself. Loyalty is a quality you look for in a friend.

This will take a vast turn from my usual political rants and raves. The concept of loyalty has been something that I've thought a great deal about in the past few weeks. Maybe I'm way off base with the things that I expect from people. As a teacher I probably shouldn't expect loyalty from my students, but I do. I think the problem lies in the fact that I'm way too passionate about what I do. Teaching music and providing learning experiences for my students has always been at the forefront of my ideology. I came to the mountains of North Carolina with great vision and enthusiasm to teach. I've worked hard through the years, and I think that I've made some difference in the way my students experience music. It didn't take long for me to realize that nine-tenths of administrative types in the school system didn't value what I was doing; and as a result, their opinion mattered less and less to me. It has always been about the students for me. I get a great deal of satisfaction from seeing and hearing the band students perform. Every school year brings me a new group, with new challenges, new leaders, and a platform from which to achieve success. I always go into each semester with enthusiasm and the willingness to do whatever I can to make the experience of "band" better for the students.

Now for the problem.......We are having a horrible problem keeping students involved in the program. The option to stay in the band, make some great music, and enjoy the praise of the audience is becoming less attractive to my students, and I don't know what the problem is. I often blame it on myself. What have I done? What have I left undone? In my career, I've made many Superior ratings with our groups, the marching band has won Band of the Day awards, we've performed on the lawn of the US Capitol, for wounded veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, at the FedEx Orange Bowl, the Toyota Gator Bowl, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, the Nokia Sugar Bowl, and most recently the BCS National Championship Bowl. We've performed an won numerous awards in regional holiday parades; as well as performances at Walt Disney World, Sea World, and Universal Studios, Orlando. I've taken bands to every state in the southeastern United States and the District of Columbia. Somehow, it just seems like all this has not been enough - the students are not coming into the program any more. In the past twenty-seven years I've constantly read articles, taken classes, attended clinics, observed other directors, and asked questions of those who know; all with the intention of providing a better experience for my students. I've used my own money to help pay for trips, buy letter jackets, and instruments for my students. I've spent numerous hours at honor clinics, camps, performances, and rehearsals; many of which were during the summer or other vacation times. I've listened to students' personal problems and offered advice. With all this, I think the only thing that I expected from the students was loyalty. Give back to the program that which you have gained from it. When I have a student quit the program, I take it personally, and I know that is part of the problem. You see, I've expected loyalty in return for my efforts. Maybe I'm the one who is off base? Maybe the true mark of an educator should be to give and not expect anything at all in return? If the latter is true, then my philosophy of education has been wrong for over a quarter of a century.

I had a professor in college that convinced me that she didn't want me to succeed. I developed that theory after I failed two of her courses. I never had an instructor like her in all my life! It was quite simple; she presented the material and expected all her students to work and achieve. She expected the same performance from all of us and didn't want to hear excuses. I left college not getting the point of her offering to me. It wasn't until many years later that I realized all that she had done for me. As a result of this epiphany, I wrote her a letter to express how much I appreciated all that she had done for me. She sent me the nicest letter in return. This instructor devoted her life to sharing her knowledge with all of us, and it was greatly appreciated. It seems only right that we, her students, should express our appreciation to her. In her return letter to me she stated how proud she was that I didn't give-up at a time when I was being greatly challenged. At that point, I knew how much her teaching had influenced me as a teacher.

Society is changing for whatever reason(s), and I guess I'm not keeping abreast with many of the changes. As I go into the twilight of my career, I feel like I finally know what I'm doing. Why, then, are my students leaving me at this point? I almost feel betrayed. I do feel a great deal of hurt. In the past years, I have become more understanding and less harsh than in any other time in my career. I'll retire after one more year of teaching, and I fear that I will leave my profession as a failure. If I was a success, the students would not be leaving the program. I haven't drastically changed my method of instruction, the time spent on our activities has been constant for about 10+ years, and I still have the enthusiasm. I've just lost the need for my students to feel any loyalty to me or the program. We're losing more students who could come back to the program in the next year as we are graduates. I don't guess there's much of an answer to my plight. I guess that I'll have to just "suck it up" and do the best I can with what I have. I've always found a great refuge in music and teaching. Teaching has been a true opportunity for me and has defined who I am in this society. I hope that I've made a positive difference and I hope that I've been able to teach some real values while presenting the material. At this point, I question my accomplishment.

2009-02-06T14:16:00.000-08:00

..........so, here we go again!

“I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment. I’m 23 years old and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again.” - Michael Phelps, in response to this photograph.

I'm glad to hear that Kellogg's dropped him as a front man for their product. This guy was made to be a role model for all aspiring young men and women via his hard work and Olympic triumphs. This act should result in him never, yes I said, NEVER being allowed to compete in the Olympics again - end of story! It should also result in him losing all $5 million in endorsement deals! This guy is not a role model for anyone to follow. Oh, and I guess he didn't learn much of a lesson from his 2004 DUI arrest? He cites "youthful mistakes" as his excuse for doing this. You know, there are brave men and women who are serving our country right now that face life and death decisions on a daily basis and many of them are his age and younger! The "youthful mistake" excuse carries no weight whatsoever with me.

As a teacher, I think to myself what would happen if I would have done the same thing at age 23. The result would have been much different. I would have been fired from my job without an argument or chance to muster up a lame excuse.

The point is clear. Michael Phelps will make it past his "youthful mistake", and will go on to earn millions of dollars in endorsement deals from companies and American citizens who have no standards at all. He's an athlete, and athletes who win seem to have a coating of Teflon that will allow the standards of behavior to slide right off.

2009-02-03T19:42:00.000-08:00

..........thanks, liberal, socialist media!

Well, thanks to our liberal, socialist media, the Wells Fargo management has cancelled a trip for executives to Las Vegas. Read the CNN story:

NEW YORK (CNN) — Wells Fargo announced Tuesday it would cancel a four-day business meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, after news reports tagged it a “pricey Las Vegas casino junket.”
The company, one of nine banks to receive funds from the first round of government bailout money last fall, called the reports “intentionally misleading.”
“The event is not a ‘junket’ for executives but a four-day business meeting and recognition event for hard-working team members who made home ownership achievable and sustainable for borrowers across the nation,” the company said in a statement.
Citing an Associated Press story, CNN reported that Wells Fargo had booked 12 nights at two of the city’s most expensive hotels, drawing questions and criticism from Capitol Hill on whether the bank, the recipient of $25 billion from the Treasury’s bailout plan, misused the taxpayer’s money.
“The question here is whether Wells Fargo is spending taxpayer money to bankroll Las Vegas junkets,” New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo told Bloomberg News in an e-mailed statement. “That is an answer the American people deserve to know because this is their money.”

Why would they even attempt this after President Obama tongue lashed all the Wall Street types for this very thing last week? Well, we've done it for eight years, why stop now? The no "checks and balances" thing for these people is completely unacceptable. Prison terms will be the only thing that awakens heart and mind for this scum! The perfect punishment - solitary confinement with continuous Rush Limbaugh radio shows.

2009-01-30T11:15:00.000-08:00

..........getting to know the "Oval" Office from someone who knows things.

2009-01-27T07:23:00.001-08:00

.........."I would like to welcome you to my new hollowed-out mountain 'lair'.

It is, of course, wheelchair accessible."

2009-01-23T14:41:00.000-08:00

.........."I hope Obama Fails."

Rush Limbaugh told his listeners that he was asked by “a major American print publication” to offer a 400-word statement explaining his “hope for the Obama presidency.” He responded:

So I’m thinking of replying to the guy, “Okay, I’ll send you a response, but I don’t need 400 words, I need four: I hope he fails.” (interruption) What are you laughing at? See, here’s the point. Everybody thinks it’s outrageous to say. Look, even my staff, “Oh, you can’t do that.” Why not? Why is it any different, what’s new, what is unfair about my saying I hope liberalism fails? Liberalism is our problem. Liberalism is what’s gotten us dangerously close to the precipice here. Why do I want more of it? I don’t care what the Drive-By story is. I would be honored if the Drive-By Media headlined me all day long: “Limbaugh: I Hope Obama Fails.” Somebody’s gotta say it.

In response, I say; "I hope any President of the United States is successful as he/she leads our country. As I may disagree with the full agenda, I want our country to be successful. If the President is not successful, our country will fail as a result. My proof? The past eight years!"

2009-01-23T12:04:00.000-08:00

..........I just thought these pics were funny!

The drawing below was the result of an elementary teacher giving the homework assignment to her kids that stated; "draw a picture of what you want to do when you grow up."

Here's the letter that was sent to the teacher by "mommy":

Dear Mrs. Jones,

I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer. I work at Home Depot and I told Sarah how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had. Then I found one more in the back room, and several people were fighting over who would get it. Sarah's picture does NOT show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot. From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Smith

2009-01-22T08:07:00.000-08:00

..........just in case you missed it....

....here is the transcript of the Presidential Inaugural Address with play-by-play comments by Rush Limbaugh. In a recent broadcast, Mr. Limbaugh said that he hoped that Obama would fail. What? Wouldn't that mean that we all fail? I guess not, in the minds of the such wingnuts. I can't, for the life of me, understand how anyone can be so narrow-minded as Limbaugh; and for that matter, how anyone could follow what he says as truth. What I do celebrate is the fact that even a wingnut, bigot like Limbaugh has the right, via the US Constitution, to voice his opinion. That gives us all the ability to agree or disagree as we see fit. Limbaugh is nothing but a childish Storm Trooper. At any rate, here's the oath, speech, and commentary bear with me, it's a long post, and comes straight from the Rush Limbaugh website - take a few minutes and read the whole thing, and read what Limbaugh says in comment to the speech - even the part where he mocks a prayer to God:

CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: I, Barack (Bleep) Obama do --

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: I, Barack --

CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: -- do solemnly swear.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: I Barack Hussein Obama do solemnly swear.

CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: That I will execute the office of president to the United States faithfully.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: That I will execute...

CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: Faithfully the office of president of the United States.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: The office of president of the United States faithfully.
CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: And will to the best of my ability...

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: And will to the best of my ability...

CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: Preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: Reserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: So help you God?

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: So help me God.

RUSH: Is that what I thought I heard?

CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: Congratulations, Mr. President.

RUSH: There it is, folks. There it is. History in the making, with a botched oath. Where is the teleprompter when you really need it? The crowd teeming with people, showed up overnight in their broken-down Plymouths to be a part of history. Military acts being committed in front of the new president, big guns are being fired, but they are Democrat guns now, so it's okay. (crowd yelling, "Change is here, Change is here")

SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN: It is my great personal honor to present the 44th president of these United States, Barack Obama.

RUSH: That is the crowd you're hearing, not static. The crowd about the same size the last time the Philadelphia Flyers won the Stanley Cup. (crowd chanting "Obama, Obama, Obama")

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: Thank you. My fellow citizens, I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation --

RUSH: Now get lost.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: -- as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms.

RUSH: It's a clear day in Washington.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebearers, and true to our founding documents.

RUSH: We have?

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: So it has been, so it must be with this generation of Americans.

RUSH: That's a tough one.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred.

RUSH: Really?PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices --

RUSH: Criticize Congress here.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: -- and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

RUSH: Oh, oh, jeez.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land, a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

RUSH: That's what you've been telling us!

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America -- they will be met. (cheers and applause.)

RUSH: Lowering expectations.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics. We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness. In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted, for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom. For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth. For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction. This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America. (cheers and applause)For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of our economy calls for action bold and swift, and we will act, not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do. Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage. What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government. Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control. The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart, not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good. (applause)

RUSH: I'm stunned here, folks. I am stunned.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.

RUSH: The crowd is puzzled here.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born, know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more. (cheers and applause).

RUSH: They're cheering the platitudes. The specifics they don't understand, they don't like. It's a campaign speech, it sounds like.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

RUSH: What?

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort, even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense --

RUSH: You have been.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: -- and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you. (cheers and applause).

RUSH: Sounds like George W. Bush.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and non-believers.

RUSH: Groups.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: We are shaped by every language and culture --

RUSH: Victims.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: -- drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace. To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.

RUSH: They don't have that freedom.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist. To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect.

RUSH: Please.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: For the world has changed, and we must change with it. As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment -- a moment that will define a generation -- it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all. For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

RUSH: When the levees break?

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history.

RUSH: You can hear a pin drop.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility --

RUSH: Oh, goody.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world --

RUSH: This wasn't part of --

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: -- duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task. This is the price and the promise of citizenship. This is the source of our confidence -- the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny. This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath. (applause)

RUSH: The crowd somewhat comes alive.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people: "Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]." America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

RUSH: He quoted him.

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA: God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. (cheers and applause.)

RUSH: He quoted a slave owner in there. I'm waiting for the guy with the chisel to start chiseling these words into the marble somewhere. I just don't know which words are going to get chiseled. I think a lot of his voters say, "What's the deal here, era of responsibility?" All the problems are supposed to be over now. The applause should still be going on given the hype of all this.

SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN: I have the distinct pleasure of introducing an American poet.

RUSH: Oh, good.

SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN: Elizabeth Alexander.

RUSH: Da river, da rock, and da tree.

ALEXANDER: Praise song for the day. Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each other's eyes, or not --

RUSH: Not in New York.ALEXANDER: -- about to speak or speaking.

RUSH: You don't make eye contact in New York.

ALEXANDER: All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din. Each one of our ancestors on our tongues.

RUSH: Where's Puff Daddy?

ALEXANDER: Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair. Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum, with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice. A woman and her son wait for the bus. A farmer considers the changing sky. A teacher says, "Take out your pencils, begin." We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed, words to consider, reconsider. We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, "I need to see what's on the other side. I know there's something better down the road." We need to find a place where we are safe, we walk into that which we cannot yet see.

RUSH: Maybe she knows.

ALEXANDER: Say it plain.

RUSH: Which came first --

ALEXANDER: That many have died for this day.

RUSH: -- the chicken or the egg?

ALEXANDER: Seeing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges.

RUSH: That are broken.

ALEXANDER: Picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.

RUSH: Never end a sentence on a preposition. That's...

ALEXANDER: Praise song for struggle. Praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign, the figuring in on at kitchen tables. Some live by, "Love thy neighbor as thyself." Others by, "First, do no harm," or, "Take no more than you need. " What if the mightiest word is love? Love beyond marital, filial, national.

RUSH: What?

ALEXANDER: Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance. In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun. On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp, praise song for walking forward in that light.

RUSH: I'm still waiting for a rhyme here. It's a poem. (applause)

SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN: And now it's my privilege to introduce the Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery to deliver the benediction.

RUSH: I don't think the crowd knew the poem was over.

LOWERY: God of our weary years. God of our silent tears. Thou who hath brought us thus far along the way. Thou who has by night led us into the light, keep us forever in the path, we pray; lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee; lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee. Shadowed beneath our hand, may we forever stand, true to Thee, O God, and true to our native land. We truly give thanks for the glorious experience we've shared this day. We pray now, O Lord for Your blessing upon thy servant, Barack Obama, the 44th president of these United States, his family, and his administration. He has come to this high office at a low moment in a national and indeed the global fiscal climate. But because we know You got the whole world in Your hand --

RUSH: (singing) Got the whole world, in His hand...

LOWERY: -- we pray for not only our nation but for the community of nations. Our faith does not shrink, though pressed by the flood of mortal ills. For we know that, Lord, You are able and you're willing to work through faithful leadership, to restore stability, mend our brokenness, heal our wounds, and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor, of the least of these, and from favoritism toward the rich, the elite of these. We thank you for the empowering of our servant, our 44th president, to inspire our nation to believe that "yes, we can" work together to achieve a more perfect union. And while we have sown the seeds of greed, the wind of greed and corruption, and even as we reap the of social and economic disruption, we seek forgiveness and we come to the spirit of unity and solidarity to commit our support to our president by our willingness to make sacrifices to respect Your creation, to turn to each other and not on each other. And then, Lord, in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate. On the side of inclusion, not exclusion. Tolerance, not intolerance. And as we leave this mountaintop, help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship and the oneness of our family. Let us take that power back to our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques, wherever we seek Your will. Bless President Barack, first lady Michelle. Look over angels Sasha and Malia. We go now to walk together, children, pledging that we won't get weary in the difficult days ahead. We know you will not leave us alone with Your hands of power and Your heart of love. Help us then, now, Lord to work for that day when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man, every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree, and none shall be afraid.

RUSH: Remember, folks.

LOWERY: When justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream. Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their neighbors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask You to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back --

RUSH: This is a prayer, folks.

LOWERY: -- and brown can stick around; when yellow will be mellow; when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white would embrace what is right. Let all those who do justice and love mercy, say amen.

LOWERY: Say amen.

CROWD: Amen!

LOWERY: And amen.

CROWD: Amen!

RUSH: "When white will embrace what is right"? (interruption) Of course, I'm offended. He actually said that? It was a prayer!

SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN: Please rise for the singing of our National Anthem by the United States Navy Sea Chanters Chorus. Following the Anthem, please remain in place while the presidential party exits the platform. Thank you very much.

RUSH: The crowd is already leaving, folks.

CHORUS: O! say can you see by the dawn's early light / What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming. / Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, / O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming. / And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, / Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. / Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave / O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? / On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep, / Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes, / What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep, / As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses? / Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam, / In full glory reflected now shines in the stream: / 'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave / O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

CROWD: (cheers)

(playing of Stars and Stripes Forever)

RUSH: Remember, folks: An empty barrel makes the most noise.(song continues)

RUSH: I love this: Stars and Stripes Forever. We'll stick with this as the crowd no doubt wondering what just happened. (song continues)

RUSH: I am Rush Limbaugh, ladies and gentlemen. It's great to have you with us as I, and many Americans, now embrace what is right. (playing of My City Was Gone, the Rush Limbaugh opening theme song)

RUSH: The 44th president of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama is now inaugurated, and the crowd is now disbursing. The crowd began to disburse, ladies and gentlemen, before the Reverend Lowery finished his speech, slash, prayer; which went almost as long as President Obama's acceptance speech. We're going to go to a quick commercial time-out here. We'll come back and get to your phone calls quickly. I know people want to weigh in on their thoughts. 1-800-282-2882 is the number, if you want to be on the program. The e-mail address is ElRushbo@eibnet.com. I'll give you my thoughts when we come back, and I want to hear yours as well, but the first thought I have is that they overhyped this. I mean, the audience didn't know the applause lines. It started a bad. I think the classical music thing is fine for a certain group, but it set the tone here. The whole thing was a downer here today, and yet all the hype had led us to believe... A new era of responsibility, call to action, America is great. All those things were said, but not with a whole lot of believability because we essentially got another campaign speech here, which I'm not surprised about because I think that the Obama campaign will continue that as he's governing. Just like the Clinton administration was a constant campaign, so I think will this be, but there's plenty of time here to discuss this. We will have audio sound bites of the speech. We'll chop it up, and try to determine which words will be chiseled into stone from this speech, and we'll be eagerly awaiting Drive-By commentary from the various media outlets who had led the public to believe this would be one of the greatest inaugural addresses ever. I'm still trying to figure out, and maybe you can help me, what he said. I heard it; I listened. But I don't know quite what he said here, other than what he has said throughout the campaign. I do know that Ann Compton of ABC News reported that the sun glistened off Obama's lapel pin. But I think it fell flat. The crowd's dispersing rapidly. The health care plan, finally figured it out: He's going to heal us one person at a time, just by touching us. These are just my initial reactions.

2009-01-21T17:26:00.000-08:00

..........check out a little change!

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release January 21, 2009

EXECUTIVE ORDER

- - - - - - -

PRESIDENTIAL RECORDS

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to establish policies and procedures governing the assertion of executive privilege by incumbent and former Presidents in connection with the release of Presidential records by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) pursuant to the Presidential Records Act of 1978, it is hereby ordered as follows:

... Executive Order 13233 of November 1, 2001, is revoked.

BARACK OBAMA

THE WHITE HOUSE,
January 21, 2009.

In 1974, Congress passed the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act of 1974, placing the presidential records of Richard Nixon in federal custody to prevent their destruction. The legislative action was intended to reduce secrecy, while allowing historians to perform their responsibilities. In 1972, decades of official and unofficial Federal Bureau of Investigation records had been destroyed, upon the death of J. Edgar Hoover, by his longtime secretary. The Presidential Records Act of 1978 expanded such protection of historical records, by mandating that the records of former presidents would automatically become the property of the federal government upon his leaving the Oval Office, and then transferred to the archivist of the United States, thereafter to be made available to the public after no more than 12 years.
Thus, the presidential papers of Ronald Reagan were due to be made public when George W. Bush took office in January 2001. However, in a White House memo dated March 23, 2001, the Counsel to the President conveyed the following to U.S Archivist John W. Carlin:
Section 2(b) of Executive Order 12667, issued by former President Ronald Reagan on January 16, 1989, requires the Archivist of the United States to delay release of Presidential records at the instruction of the current President. On behalf of the President, I instruct you to extend for 90 days (until June 21, 2001) the time in which President Bush may claim a constitutionally based privilege over the Presidential records that former President Reagan, acting under Section 2204(a) of Title 4, has protected from disclosure for the 12 years since the end of his Presidency. This directive applies as well to the Vice Presidential records of former Vice President George H.W. Bush.
This instruction was repeated on June 6, 2001, before the 90 days had elapsed, giving a new deadline of August 31, 2001. On the day of this deadline, Alberto Gonzales instructed the Archivist to wait a few additional weeks. On November 1, 2001, Bush issued Executive Order 13233, limiting the access to the records of former U.S. Presidents:
...reflecting military, diplomatic, or national security secrets, Presidential communications, legal advice, legal work, or the deliberative processes of the President and the President's advisers, and to do so in a manner consistent with the Supreme Court's decisions in Nixon v. Administrator of General Services, 433 U.S. 425 (1977), and other cases...

The Order was revoked by President Barack Obama on January 21, 2009. Yet another step towards truth, honesty, and justice for all - a scary situation for some/many!

2009-01-21T10:09:00.001-08:00

.........."Welcome", President Obama!

For the first time in my lifetime, we have elected a President of the United States that is younger than me. As a matter of personal trivia, I thought that was cool. At any rate, America is going onto a new course as of today. Many doubt that this new course will be effective, and many are scared to death of the change that may/will come. I'm willing to try something new. The election of John McCain and, well, his running mate, would have been much of the same old crap; and we know that hasn't worked. Many race relations may have been healed yesterday, and that is always a good thing. I watched most of the festivities on NBC, and I must say that I felt some emotion as American ideals were celebrated. One thing for sure - the man can speak and communicate. That will be such an outstanding change from the past eight years. In one of his latest press meetings, Bush used one of his terms to refer to a decision he had made on WMD - "misunderestimation". I look forward to seeing what will be accomplished by this administration, and I'm glad that I had a part in putting him up there to take that oath. Maybe I'm naive? Maybe all the "sky is falling" talk from the far right will come true? At this point, I'm willing to take the chance. A continuation of our current track in economics and foreign policy would surely not be helpful/safe to Americans. That "base" of support for Bush surely didn't help us out on the financial front. As much as I have criticized President Bush, I almost felt some sorrow for him yesterday as he listened to the speech concerning change, and witnessed the support of Americans at the inauguration. It was even a bit sad as he and Mrs. Bush boarded the helicopter for the last time. Knowing that only 22% of the people you represent is on board with your policy has got to feel bad. Oh right - who cares how the American people feel; we're going to do what is right! Yep.............. Now as for Cheney, I'm just glad that the Sith Lord has left the building! I guess that Jackson Hole, Wyoming is the new "undisclosed location". I can see Devils Tower being hollowed out and used as his lair. I asked a colleague this morning if she watched the inauguration yesterday? She, being a far right Republican wingnut, said; "No. I listened to a preacher most of the day talking about how Obama was going to push abortion legislation forward." What an idiot! Another person that I know was talking to me a lunch one afternoon a couple of weeks before Christmas, and talking about how he couldn't believe that; "we, the American people, had elected a Muslim to the highest office in the land!" He went on to express that he would not watch the inauguration to see a President of the United States be sworn in on the Koran! What scares me is that there are many more idiots, like these two, out there, and all over America! I truly believe that the Republicans are aware of their fate if they don't "reach across the isle" during the next four years. This administration will, in my opinion, define more about Republicans than that of the Democrats who are in majority power. I wish the best for President Obama and the United States of America! I pray that the right decisions will be made for America. I also hope that people who oppose him will give his policy the 'ole college try - who knows, it may be what really works!

2009-01-21T09:52:00.000-08:00

..........how about some presidential trivia?

It didn't take long for Barack Obama to make the first mistake of his presidency. In the third sentence of his inaugural speech Tuesday, the newly sworn-in president said, "Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath." While there have been 44 presidential administrations, there have been only 43 presidents; as Grover Cleveland served two nonconsecutive terms in the late 1800s. Bush would have referred to this as a "misunderestimation".

2008-12-22T06:18:00.000-08:00

..........yes, the language used in the caption is very inappropriate; but, sometimes you can only describe something in one way!

2008-12-16T06:28:00.000-08:00

........."I present you this medal for bravery in the face of hostile Florsheims."

I've got to hand it to him. He's got great reflex actions!

2008-11-20T05:50:00.000-08:00

..........where has all the common sense gone?

This is a short post; and I hope you can sense the frustration that I'm feeling right now. Just apply the title of the post to your JOB, to politics, and just everyday life in general. I wish all of you the very best today. And that's all I have to say about that!!!!

2008-11-17T06:18:00.000-08:00

2008-11-17T06:17:00.000-08:00

.........."Hi Joe. It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Deathstar; or, as I like to call it; my undisclosed location."

2008-11-07T14:35:00.000-08:00

..........this, after not getting the gig with Faux (Fox) News.

And if SNL doesn't work out either...........

Sarah Palin of Alaska has reached out to President-elect Obama's transition team to indicate her interest in being named "ambassador to the nation of Africa," the governor confirmed today. Gov. Palin said that although she had planned to continue in her position in Anchorage, she was willing to leave the governorship "because Africa is just such a darned important country." "I have always been very, very interested in the nation of Africa, partly because of it being located where it is," she said. "If you are standing in Africa and you look real close, you can see South Africa." She added that she had received phone calls encouraging her to vie for the post, including one from French president Nicholas Sarkozy. In other news from the Palin family, Bristol Palin's fiancé Levi Johnston said he was "totally stoked" about Tuesday night's election returns, calling the results "definitely a game-changer for me." "The election of Barack Obama means different things to different people," he said. "To me, it means freedom, dude!"

2008-11-07T07:36:00.000-08:00

..........following his presidency,

I wonder if Mr. Bush will embark on a career based on speaking engagements like Bill Clinton? It's estimated that Clinton can make an average of $200,000 per engagement for an hour long speech. What will Bush do? It just doesn't seem likely that speeches will be a real forte of his. Maybe he could work as a federal food inspector?

2008-11-07T07:35:00.000-08:00

..........this is just plain funny!

2008-11-05T11:32:00.001-08:00

..........I extend a "welcome" to our new first family from Beware of the Elephant in Tall Grass!

2008-11-05T11:31:00.001-08:00

.........."I'm not going back to Alaska, and you can't make me!"

2008-11-05T11:28:00.000-08:00

..........funny, that's not an Armani jacket.

From Newsweek:

One aide estimated that Sarah Palin spent "tens of thousands" more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost. An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast," and said the truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its books. On another point, at the GOP convention in St. Paul, Palin was completely unfazed by the boys' club fraternity she had just joined. One night, Steve Schmidt and Mark Salter went to her hotel room to brief her. After a minute, Palin sailed into the room wearing nothing but a towel, with another on her wet hair. She told them to chat with her laconic husband, Todd. "I'll be just a minute," she said.

2008-11-05T06:02:00.000-08:00

..........so what happened?

No matter how the election for President of the United States would have turned-out, there would have been new history made. On one hand, there is the election of a woman to the V-P spot; and on the other, a race minority. President Elect Barack Obama made history with the win. Most states went the way that were anticipated via the polls (polls really do mean something). So, what happened to the Republicans? I think the explanation is simple - lack of appeal to the working class and younger voters. In spite of George W. Bush, the Republicans still had a chance to win the White House again. Many voters still believe in the standards of conservatism. In my opinion, the problems lie in the attitude of the Republican candidates and their ability to appeal to working class people. I live in a solid Republican area, where strong conservative values are reinforced in tradition and in church. I guarantee you that I could line 100 people from my community up and ask them; "why do you vote Republican?"; and they would all reply based on two reasons: 1) my family has always voted Republican, and it's good enough for me; 2) because the Republicans don't believe in abortion. Narrow views? That's not for me to determine, but I do believe that we need to put a little more thought into it than that. The one thing that really sets in my mind and still amazes me is the inability of the Republicans to reinvent themselves to appeal to younger voters. I never flinched over John McCain's age, but many did. Many people did not vote for McCain because he is 72 years old. Narrow view? Yes, I think so. Who were our other Republican choices? We had Fred Thompson, who is about as appealing as moldy bread; not to mention that he is a real smart ass who degraded the views of others; there's Rudy Giuliani, who was always a little too liberal for the hardcore Republican, and a known womanizer; then there's Mike Huckabee, the far right wing fundamentalist. The Republicans need to work on getting some fresh blood into the party during the next four years, or you will cease to exist. The GOP won't have to give up their values, they just need to work on being able to appeal by policy rather than with the elitist, "we're right, and you're wrong because you're liberal and stupid" theory. The Republican Party did a great job in the past 21 months of turning away voters with a very negative approach. The GOP also had to make a choice as to support of the sitting president - which resulted in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario. I am a Democrat, and I hope that President Elect Obama will change some things about how our land is governed, and how our country will prosper. I would hope that for any president that is elected. I look forward to a more positive America, and a recovery for our economy and foreign policy. Many die hard GOP folks are now spewing the "doom and gloom" that is sure to befall our nation. To them I say, "give it a rest"! Things are what they are; you can learn to work within it or you can exhaust yourself working against it. No matter how you slice it, the Bush Administration was/is a disaster in most every way. I'll be anxious to see if the Democrats do as the Republicans did when they had control. Will they sit and do nothing, or will they make changes for the good of us all? If they do nothing; then they deserve the same punishment that the Republicans received in the election last night. That's what the 2008 election was about - punishment of those who truly failed America! I personally voted for every Democrat I could find; and in the case of non-partisan offices, I tried to find out which way they leaned as well. Now it's off to hear the nut-jobs complain. Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and Glenn Beck (just to name a few), should be praising the election as four great years of job security; for it is their duty to use the election as a means to tear the country further apart and to make sure the people are polarized towards one another. There were points in the Bush years where I felt that I could back his decisions and play team ball; but the nut-jobs never would let it completely happen for me. The words of people (using the word "people" loosely) like Rush Limbaugh is nothing short of an attempt to brainwash Americans, and many have fallen victim to the poison of his words. This is the first presidential election in which I have voted for the winner in twelve years. I am optimistic that there will be some change. There has to be some change! I am optimistic that President Elect Obama will look out more for the middle class. George W. Bush spoke volumes when he is addressing a fundraising dinner where patrons paid $20,000 per plate, and said; "you are my base." The "base" of America has always been and will continue to be the middle class. George W. Bush was never intelligent to believe that, and that's why American jobs were sent overseas by droves on his watch. That "base" of his could not enjoy obscene profits and keep jobs here in America. I am optimistic that more people in America will have the opportunity to prosper. Am I a socialist? I don't think so; but I do want to see the vast opportunities of America enjoyed by all its citizens. That's how I interpret "spreading the wealth around." It means filling-in more of that gray area between the "haves" and the "have-nots" based on opportunity. That may mean taxing the hell out of corporations that prosper on the back of a twelve-year old child laborer in Bangledesh over that of an American citizen trying to feed his family with a steady factory job. Enormous profits by a small sector of our population is not what our economic system should be about. That wealth doesn't trickle down, unless you live in Mexico or the other places that American jobs have gone. A reasonable profit for services rendered and goods sold should be the order of the day. The price of oil has fallen dramatically; but the "sticky" prices that are supposedly the result of high oil prices are still there. Does government need to step in and help the consumer? Would a government intervention be the end of free enterprise? Those are questions that will, no doubt, be asked of this incoming president. I know that some of you are reading this and saying, "blah, blah, blah." I may be more liberal than you, but I'm no elitist. I realize that my views are not the only views, and I know that the Democratic Party does not provide the only correct answers. Only a true asshole will say that he has all the anwers. The problems of America are bigger than any of our individual opinions or that of one political party. The ability to compromise has always been the true strength of America. I hope the next four years will show us the compromise needed for our success as a union, undivided by our arrogance.

2008-10-31T07:27:00.000-07:00

..........public school reform!

I'm close to feeling a "rant' coming on! In North Carolina last school year there was a high school dropout rate of nearly 30%. Can you believe that? The rate of dropouts were 3 out of ten students! The solution offered by our state education administrators - re-tool the entire system to compensate for the 30%. Yes, we can hide our inability to reform society by showing an effort to reform the schools. It should be easy enough. The school employees are under the control of the government - they have to do what we say! It's odd that you never hear much about the 70% that do graduate from our public schools. Here in our school alone (graduation class sizes average 215), we had over $1.4 million of scholarships offered to the 2008 graduating class. That's not too bad. My daughter got about $45,000 of that herself (brag)! We have graduates that attend community college, four-year private colleges, US Military Academies, and some of the best universities in the nation. Did the public schools fail them? Sure, we can always make improvements, but these kids took advantage of the opportunities given to them and made the system work.

Now, on to the rant. In a recent board of education meeting in a large and influential school system here in NC, the BOE passed a proposal to drop the needed graduation credits for their system to the state minimum as to graduate students earlier. And where do the dropped credits come from? You got it - the arts and electives programs! You see, this has nothing at all to do with the welfare of students, but everything to do with saving money. It'll take some time to materialize, but this will eventually mean a reduction of kids taking elective classes (like band) and usher in a reason to reduce funding for programs; as well as, reduce the work force. For example, when the number of kids enrolled in band and chorus reach an enrollment where there is no need to have several sections, we can combine sections. Less classes equals less of a need for two instructors - get rid of one through staff reduction, and have one person teach both chorus and band. The result? The system saves about $50,000 each year. I feel sure the plan will work for the school budget, but what about the students? The public schools are scorned by many right-wing nut jobs who don't have enough sense to see the overwhelming positive influence offered to our society. Their cry is to privatize and offer vouchers for a better education. The truth is that privatization of the schools (as clearly understood by Thomas Jefferson - a pretty solid thinker) would result in a wide-gap class society. Of course, that's what most Republicans want. Okay, here we go, and I can hear it from where I'm sitting - "you're a socialist"! No, I'm not a socialist. I'm just a Conservative Democrat who knows that the survival of America will depend on education of everyone; an education that is offered equally to everyone, and an education that offers many opportunities for students to find their forte in life. The shroud of school reform is a means to do nothing more than save money. I regret this for our society; for in the years to come, there will be a definite reduction in the arts and vocational courses offered to American youths. This will not be reform, but tragedy. Like it or not, art defines a creative mind. Here's a Beware of the Elephant in Tall Grass prediction: Instrumental music education will be eliminated from the NC public schools as classes offered during the regular school day in ten years! At that time, all music ensembles in existence will meet as extra curricular. What will happen to the music teachers? They will be located at colleges and universites, and will be offered a stipend to teach high school students at the end of the regular school day. Does that seem far fetched? Just remember, you read it here!

2008-10-31T05:24:00.000-07:00

..........that's what I'm talkin' about!

Beer, shotgun, bimbo, and a Palin shirt! I wonder if that is Bob the Builder; you know, Joe's brother?

2008-10-31T05:20:00.000-07:00

..........and then, desperation set in at the McCain camp!

Conclusion: Epic Campaign Fail.

2008-10-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

..........North Carolina is a battleground state, and one of NASCAR's founders just endorsed Obama.

This is from NASCAR legend, Junior Johnson:

Every day I talk to someone else who's never voted for a Democrat, but now they're voting for Barack Obama. They realize that Barack understands what we're going through here in North Carolina. And they're ready for change. So I've made up my mind, and I'm ready to get involved. I know that I could never have won a race without my pit crew, and I know Barack can't win this one without us. Can you sign up to volunteer this last crucial week? When I talk to folks about why I support Barack, I just tell it like I see it. There's been a lot thrown at him this election, and he's stayed calm, positive, and focused. I know a little something about how important it is to stay cool under pressure. And with all the dangers in our world today, that's the kind of rock-solid leadership our country needs.
These days, I run a small country ham and pork skins business. Barack Obama will fight for a fair economy where small businesses like mine have the freedom to grow, and he'll defend the Second Amendment to protect the hunter's way of life. But the most important reasons I'm speaking out for Barack Obama are named Robert and Meredith, my two children. My wife Lisa and I talked it over, and honestly, we know in our gut that their future is more secure if Barack Obama is president. At the end of the day, there's just nothing more important than that.
That's why I'm going to talk to my neighbors this week, and I'm asking you to do the same. This election in North Carolina is going to be one of the closest ever, and we all need to lend a hand.
Join me by volunteering this week:
http://my.barackobama.com/...
I've been in a lot of races in my life. But this may be the most important one of all. So let's all get in gear and win it together.

Yours,

Junior Johnson

P.S. -- I know what it means to run an aggressive race, but I also know what it means to compete with integrity. Have you gotten one of these pre-recorded calls that are flooding our state smearing Barack Obama's character and questioning his patriotism? That's crossing the line, and North Carolinians deserve better. Help fight back by canvassing this week to tell your neighbors the truth about Barack.

You just think about what 'ole Junior said the next time you fry up some country ham, bite into a deep fried pork skin, go huntin', or haul your next load of illegal liquor to market!

2008-10-28T10:52:00.000-07:00

..........my first 5K!!!

I completed my first 5K on Saturday. The Piney Creek School, Run For Gracie 5K was held to raise money for a paved walking track. My wife signed me up for the event. When I got there, the kids had already begun with their one-mile fun run. Lisa had me pre-registered, so I just enjoyed watching other people. There were some pretty serious runners there and some other folks like myself. Start time was 10:00 AM sharp! Off we go on a beautiful course that winds through some extraordinary countryside views of Alleghany County. The fast runners soon pulled away and out of sight. I completed the race in good time and went into the building for the awards. Much to my surprise, I won second place in the 44-49 year old men's class! Not bad for a first time racer. The first place guy was about 6'-8" and a lean runner type. I was second, and, well; that finished up the classification. Now, I didn't finish last. There were three women and a 4-year old who finished behind me. Oh, and my time? I walked the course in 46 minutes. I think we raised about $7,500 for the trail. For my next 5K, I'm hoping to break 45 minutes!

2008-10-28T06:20:00.000-07:00

.........."I like to remain active with politics."

2008-10-28T06:04:00.000-07:00

.........."my homies left me!"

2008-10-28T06:01:00.000-07:00

..........Governor Palin on the game show circuit.

2008-10-27T15:29:00.000-07:00

..........an explanation on what went wrong with the economy.

2008-10-27T15:28:00.000-07:00

2008-10-27T10:40:00.000-07:00

..........I've got a great idea for a reality show.

You could take a scary old guy and have him living in a mansion with his much younger girlfriends! We could call it The Girls Next Door. Alright, someone beat me to it!