And I Repeat Myself Again

What is really troubling, concerning the very clear language of the 2nd Ammendment, is that the court ruling was a 5-4 thing.

Gun owners and freedom lovers, like myself, are dancing around, crowing about their victory today as if they've saved the republic.

That's Bullshit.

I see this for what it is: 5-4 is proof positive that the republic is on it's deathbed.

link

****OK, thats enough.
Comments are down for this post.

Let The Third World Have It

I've tried to watch past World Cups, only to find the whole exercise rather boring:
A bunch of guys kick a ball around and nobody scores. Wow.
And to think... English find this worth rioting over.
Sorry, just not getting that part of it.

Still, it's been fun watching Team USA, and learning a little bit about what's going on. I'm never going to be a soccer fan, but I can see it becoming the same quadrennial(is that a word?) type of indulgence hockey is.
In other words, I only watch it every four years when my country is playing another for some grand prize... and five minutes worth of strutting rights.
Beyond that, you can have it.

What I did like:

• is that beyond all the nationalistic prides, the bitter (it seems) rivalries, and those annoying horns... are fans of one nation congratulating the fans of their rivals on their superior level play, or their fighting spirit (if they lost).
  


• Bill Clinton. Forget politics and whatever kind of a putz he is, when the country is being represented in something like this, I think it's only fitting, and a team morale boost, to have some sort of symbolic presence of it's people. The Brits have the Queen. South Africa was cheered with the presence of Mandela. We can, and should, send a former president, (or present member of the first family) to serve as ceremonial cheerleader.


• Speaking of Bill, he obviously had as much of a clue about what he was watching as I did. I think he was just enjoying being Bill while away from Hilary.


• South Africa has been through a lot in it's recent history. The games have shown that the nation seems to be moving beyond all that, has a lot going for itself when it wants to.


• Despite a poor history, USA had as good a showing, or better, than some of the historical powerhouses. Makes me a little more prouder to be an American, even if I still don't care much about the whole spectacle.
  

I don't know about you, but ready I'm for some real football now.

Democracy Fail

It don't take brains to be a county supervisor.
Peggy West, County Supervisor, Milwaukee:

Yes, moderation is off. Please, behave yourselves.

Immigration Thoughts

I've tried to craft a comprehensive post on the immigration issues going on, but it really is too complex to tackle all at once.

I'll just start by saying that I prefer a liberalized immigration policy with no respect to race or nation of origin. An African Bushman should have just as much standing as a Englishman, in other words.
I also think that the threat of deportation for misbehavior ought to be real, and not mired in years of legal wrangling and appeals, with very little actual deportation taking place.
I would also lower the bar as to what is a deportable offense to include parents whose minor children(citizens or not) are involved in criminal activity.

Greencards would be issued on a first-come basis. People wouldn't be allowed to jump to a higher priority because their brother or sister is already here. Priority would only be granted to spouses and minor children/dependants.

I would make allowances for certain labor needs. If a farming co-op wants to bring in foreign help, I would allow that. Also, if certain skill sets we have a shortage of what can be found elsewhere, I would allow that, too.

And I won't even entertain the idea of what to do with those already here illegally until we've controlled the borders, and kept control for several years, like maybe 15-20.

A nation requires borders, and borders should mean something. When somebody comes here, they should be appreciative and respectful of those who came before them to build the society they want to be a part of.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal

If George Bush was President, I wouldn't be hearing all variety of talkers from the Right make excuses for Gen. Stanley McChrystal's comments. They'd be foaming at the mouth and calling for his destruction.
I'm not smearing all. Some are rather consistent.
Sure, nearly all are agreeing, if not grudgingly, that his removal was justified. But the overall tone is definitely different from what I was expecting.

The whole mess is unfortunate for the nation on a few levels.
But I don't know what misfortune is greater: That a man with a career as stellar as McChrystal's could be so careless with his professionalism, or that a man as careless as McChrystal could have had such a stellar career.

"America". Define this word.

(I'm just interested in what other people think.)

Winter's Bone

For those who do not know me: It's not likely that I would pass on a movie set and filmed in the Ozarks, so this one was a 'must see'.

Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) is a 17yr old mountain girl on a quest to find her not-good-for-much meth-cooking father, who put the family's cabin and land up for bond during his latest drug arrest. He's now gone missing, and she's got to find him, lest her little brother and sister and crazy-whacked emotionally comatose mother are cast out into woods.

Along the way she struggles to act as mother, protector and provider to her siblings, while enduring a life of crushing hillbilly poverty.

A little at a time, at threat to her own life, she begins to pull the loose ends together, grabbing clues where she can, dealing with some dangerous folks in an outlaw community where everybody knows something, nobody knows anything, talking is forbidden, and you best not ask.
She's determined, a survivor above anything else, who won't take heed or back down when she hits another dead end.

• The film is strikingly real in it's realism. There are no overdone settings. It's as if they filmed within the actual homesteads of real Ozark rural dwellers. You can't fake what this camera saw. The clutter, the dust, and the grime. It's too subtle to be any other way.

• Panoramic/scenery shots are not included. The Ozarks are known for their beauty, but none of this is included. It's not part of the story. Instead the camera films in close, capturing the people and dialogue, warts and all, in such an intimate way that draws the viewer into the drama, instead of as a spectator. It is as your own eye would see and focus on if you were there in the room, and not peeking through the window.

• The gun culture is on full unabashed display, with zero swagger. Nobody is walking around with a .45, or wielding an AK-47. Firearms are tools of survival first. And is why everybody is not far from a shotgun or squirrel rifle. It's real, and not 'movie-like'.

• There are no teeth-deficient "Deliverance"-types. No cliched presentations of what Hollywood thinks a hillbilly is, how they dress, or how they talk.

• My favorite scene: Ree is teaching her siblings how to prepare the squirrels they just caught... in graphic detail. The camera gets in close. I've cleaned enough squirrels to tell you... these were real squirrels, freshly dead, with real guts and intestines spilling out around that knife.

• Jennifer Lawrence is a very attractive young lady playing the lead. Yet, all of these good-looking looks are overlooked if not completely ignored. The story is the story, and this mission is never forgotten. She's also on camera for nearly every minute, and does such a fine job. Once again, it's the subtleties. The lack of obvious 'acting' that makes her role here so good. She is the character, and not playing the character. Very natural.

I don't recommend this one for everybody. Some movies are designed to entertain, while others tell a story using the artistic medium. This is of the latter. It may be the best film, from an artistic merit, that I'll see this year... and I've still got six months to go.

Maybe even two years.

Winter's Bone, official site Check it out.

And They Just Might Name An Ice Cream After Him

Link

An American construction worker detained in Pakistan while on a solo mission to kill Osama bin Laden claimed on Wednesday that he was obeying an order from God to avenge the Sept 11, 2001, attacks, said Pakistani security officials...

Gary Brooks Faulkner said God revealed the order in one of his dreams, prompting him to travel to Pakistan in search of al-Qaida's leader, said two security officials, one of whom is part of a team of investigators questioning the American...

Catching bin Laden was 50-year-old Faulkner's passion, his brother Scott Faulkner said.

A devout Christian with a prison record, Faulkner has been to Pakistan at least six times, learned some of the local language, and even grew a long beard to blend in, relatives and acquaintances said.

"Our military has not been able to track Osama down yet. It's been 10 years," Scott Faulkner told reporters in Denver.

"It's easier as a civilian, dressed in the local dress, to infiltrate the inside, the local people, gain their confidence and get information and intel that you couldn't get as an American soldier, Navy SEAL, whoever you might be."...

So, this guy thinks disguising himself as Jerry Garcia will get him to where he wants to go.
He's not really that far out as our Special Forces teams also forego shaving and hygiene when deploying to Afghanistan.

But seriously, this Gary Faulkner guy cannot be allowed to continue on his plan.
Can you imagine the egg-on-face of three previous administrations after untold thousands of Special Ops, drone strikes, year-long deployments for our military, and xillions of dollars fail to accomplish what one man, on a mission from God, might do?

Our governement could never live that down.

Now I'm thinkin... Who says 'drones' need to fly? or that Special Ops need be all that specialized? This guy may have the stones to go where he wants, and we already know he's crazy enough to try.
Personally, if I were calling this one, I'd shove a Lojack up his backside and send him on his way, guided by God as he says.

And why not? We've tried everything else.

Nature Is A Mother

Mission Viejo is a city located at the southern end of Orange County. A little on the upscale side, it was carved out of hillsides and part of the plan included green belts, lots of park lands, and all that other greenish nature stuff city people like when they can afford to pay for it.

For years, I've read about city council meetings attended by angry residents demanding coyote control. These people don't seem to understand that when you live surrounded by nature, nature has a habit of appearing in your backyard to make a meal out of your family pet.

Years, and years... pet owners crying. Do something! Do something!
Stupid people. I actually knew one woman who, now get this...
bought bags of dog food to throw over the fence into the canyon behind her home. Why? To keep the 'yotes out of her yard.
She didn't think it was funny when I suggested it might be more effective if she threw her (latest)dog,(latest)cat, and her pet bunny over the fence instead, and never replaced them.

I'm not sure if the city ever got their coyote problem(?) under control, but apparently in at least neighborhood the coyotes need to be brought back because now Mission Viejo officials have given the go ahead to a homeowners association in a gated community here to control its rabbit population by shooting the animals with pellet guns.

When will they learn?

Now would be a good time to get a little creative and submit a claim for losses from the oil spill.

Jobs American (Kids) Won't Do (But Should)

Department of Education officials are investigating after students at a Bronx school claimed they were forced to clean toilets as a punishment.

Some students at In-Tech Academy in Kingsbridge say they were assigned janitorial duties as part of their detention as recently as last week.

"After school the principal came in with the inspector lady and she was like 'Oh, everyone has to pitch in and clean the toilets and stuff.' So we was cleaning them and we had to clean around them and nasty, it was just mad nasty," said one student.

"Like that's not cool, like making kids clean toilets like that's not how that should go," said another student.

The DOE says if the allegations are true, appropriate action will be taken.

The text is the link.

If you ask me, it's a not a good sign when unruly teenagers are not expected to clean up their own crap.
Why not, is that supposed to be the wetback's job?
If you ask me, a spoiled generation of kids are the ruin of a great people.
Next time, give them toothbrushes.
And no texting allowed til the job is finished.

A beneficial side effect... maybe the lavs at this high school will stay a little cleaner from here on.

The Karate Kid 2010

We all know the story of The Karate Kid, and this remake of the 80's classic has been hyped, seemingly, to no end.
Seemingly, I say, because the hype ends here.
As in...Right Here.
Hype on.
Hype off.
Look my blog! Always look my blog!

This time, the kid's mom follows a job from Detroit to Beijing. Yeah, China.
The rest of the original story line is followed pretty tightly: Kid sees Girl. Tougher kid sees Kid seeing Girl. Kids gets whipped. Kid gets whipped again...
Then along comes the mysterious Asian guy to mentor him and turn him into a karate champion...

La la la la.....


Issues:
• The title clearly states "Karate Kid", right? Then why is it all about Kung Fu?

• The Kid is supposed to be in middle school, around 12yrs old or something like that. All the rest of the kids look to be the appropriate age for the story line. Except for our hero, who looks to be 9yrs old. Maybe 10. But I'm not giving it anymore than that.

• Contrast that to The Girl. She looks like an early high schooler. Maybe 14, on the lower end? Seeing this Girl romantically attracted to this Kid is kinda creepy if you ask me.

• Gratuitous Great Walling. Why? The Great Wall has nothing to do with the story line. Repeat: nothing. They couldn't even bother to write it in, but they easily could have with a little creativity. Instead, they didn't bother. I guess the producers just thought, "Hey, it's China. Let's show the Kid doing karate kung fu on the Great Wall."

• Jackie Chan is no Miyagi. Although, to his credit, it's a different kind of role than he's used to. Miyagi had a joy about him; an inner peace. Chan's Mr. Han is rather worn and depressed; and less 'quippy'.
Kudos to Chan. Razzberries to the director.

This movie got tired quick and I couldn't wait for it to end. If you got kids, though, they will love it. I went at a time when the audience was filled with youngerlings, and they were having a good time of it.

Blogger new template designs look interesting, and refreshing.
I got one in mind.

What say you?
Keep this, or try another?

Don't Bring A Rock To A Gunfight

Mexico has slammed the U.S. for its 'disproportionate use of force' after a boy of 14 was shot dead by an American Border Patrol officer.

I don't know where to go with this one. It's a tragic story, to be sure. But the fault here lies not fully with the Border Agent who probably feels like shit at this moment, because I doubt he was on Mexican soil.
And getting rocks thrown at you is not a safe state to be in.

Sure, you can talk about excessive force if you want, but in the dark who knows who's throwing what, and, as a nation, we must demand that our Agents not be required to accept the kind of disrespect that comes as a matter of course. They are, after all, United States Border Agents, sworn to protect our border from trespass... and armed accordingly... and are not pinatas for Mexican amusement.
I'm not giving them a free fire zone. Some common sense needs to come into play (I'm not implying it didn't here. We don't have all the facts yet.)
This don't look good, but let's see how it plays out.

The situation at the border has been way out of hand for a very long time. I place the blame for this boy's death not on our border agents, but further up the chain of command.

I blame Mexico for allowing and encouraging it's people to disrespect United States sovereignty and it's agents.
I blame the Mexican people for carrying on in this manner.
And I blame the United States Government for allowing it to continue.

Congratulations to Rush Limbaugh on his fourth consecutive traditional marriage.
You, Sir, are an inspiration.

I'm Not Saying What He Did Was Right...

But I understand...

TEMECULA, Calif. -- An angry father is accused of using a stun gun on a 23 year old man who sent his 17 year old daughter an explicit cell phone picture.

William Atwood Sr., 45, was charged Wednesday with multiple felonies in connection with the case.

Authorities say Atwood lured Justin Moore to his home, ordered him to strip down to his boxer shorts, and tied him up and tased him with a stun gun before turning him over to a sheriff's deputy.

Moore told authorities he sent a photo of his genitals to several friends, including Atwood's daughter, as a joke.

Atwood apparently didn't think the joke was funny when his daughter told him about the picture in January.

LINK for the rest of the story.

Enough

I've been doing this blog thing for a while now. Before that, it was message boards and similar communities.

Along the way, I've encountered many interesting folks, and consider it a flattery that some still visit after all these years... despite that on many occasions my musings and opinions may be pig-headed, ignorant, stubborn, misinformed, undereducated and/or just plain retarded.

The door is left open for a reason because for me, besides entertainment, I do what I do for the community of it.
Without you all, blogging would suck.
And is why I'm extremely tolerant of individuals. Nobody is perfect, nor totally flawed.
It is for this reason that everybody, even a moronic pus-for-brains drooler, is welcomed to add to the chatter.

But if you're coming here just to be a dick, I would appreciate it if you'd find another venue where you can wag your little winky around and others might think you're cute and bestow the kind of affirmation you crave.
It's past old.
Now, do us all a favor and stay the fuck away.

Politics

Blaming President Obama for the oil spill makes about as much sense as blaming George Bush for Hurricane Katrina, but it's likely to get interesting as Gov Jindhal squares off against the Federal Government over relief efforts.

Jindhal, you've probably heard, has long been touted as a potential Presidential candidate. Possibly, even against Obama in 2012.

My personal observation: There is more at stake in this for the President than I think he is aware of.