Little Damn Replica

Coming soon to a lucky blogger near you!

Get yours here, from these guys.

Shiny!

(Of course, if you have the coin, you could get one of these instead.)

Support Network

I've gotten some calls in the last week or so from folks that I haven't heard from in a while. Nothing serious, you understand, just life getting in the way. Among the callers were my two sisters who are both RNs.

The callers wanted to offer well wishes and support for the wife. I don't know if they all read my scratchings here (I know at least one checks in from time to time), but I can't help but wonder if a recent posting prompted some of the calls.

At any rate, I do what I have to do. Thanks for the encouraging words, it means more than you know.

ER Blues

Tuesday the wife had another biopsy, the results of this one will be used to more closely tailor a treatment routine. It's finally happening, it just needs to happen quicker. She hasn't had a treatment in over 2 months.

(To start the day off right, I pulled the latch to check the oil in the car and the cable broke. One more thing to fix on TDP (That Damn Pontiac).)

Wednesday we went to the ER, same issues with the nausea and vomiting. The day shift staff there was not much help, the doctor locked on like a laser beam to the fact that she was short of breath (pain will do that to you) and decided he needed to determine that the biopsy had caused blood clots in the lungs which was causing the shortness of breath.

I tried to tell him that the problem was nausea, meaning she couldn't keep her pain meds down, which means she was in pain and couldn't catch her breath. Obviously since he was so much smarter than me he ignored everything I said. We left against medical advice, not that it was doing any good anyway.

(Note to people holding PhD's in medicine: you might be the greatest physician since Hippocrates, but if you have no bedside manner you aren't a doctor. God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason. Also, people not in pain are much more reasonable than people in pain.)

Tonight she's back in the ER, but the night shift understands what the basic problem is (having seen her several times for the same thing). She's resting comfortably now with an IV to replace fluids and meds for the nausea and pain. Next week we go back to Rocky Mount, and hopefully a plan of treatment.

I just wish they could do something for the frequent bouts of nausea.

Hail To The Chief

This is why you should regularly check out Monster Hunter Nation on the sidebar.

Nero Fiddles

Today I asked my co-workers, "Did anyone know that Nashville is flooded?"

They didn't.

FEMA slow to respond, Bush blamed...

Temporary Bouts of Sanity

This morning I was discussing the work schedule with one of my co-workers and I mentioned that I won't be at work Monday night because Tuesday we have to go to Rocky Mount to have the mass removed from her chest wall.

He asked me how it was that I wasn't insane. I replied, "How do you know that I am?"

I wasn't joking. It's like a nightmare I can't wake up from.

1	The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2	He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3	He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4	Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5	Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6	Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Celebutards

Someone please tell Tonya Harding that no, a train cannot stop for a truck on the railroad crossing. It can't even slow down so that you would notice. It's called physics, and it's the reason there are laws against vehicles stopping across the railroad tracks, and none saying the train has to yield the right-of-way.

In fact, that path that the rails follow? Yeah, it's called a right-of-way, and it always belongs to a train. Funny thing about it is, the right-of-way doesn't move. That means you always know where it is, so you can always stay out of it.

I know, it's just a dumb-ass show, but part of the humor is with these celebutards showing just how moronic the people in the videos are. It's not as funny when the celebutards are just as stupid as the subjects. It just somehow detracts from the whole experience.

Karma

Last year Eldest Daughter got put through the legal wringer when a drop she made after hours at the bank came up missing.

After the dust had cleared, so was she. The investigation was bungled from the start, the authorities were not called in until three weeks after the event at which time the bank's tapes had been recorded over and the "investigators" were more interested in wrangling a confession from her than they were in finding out what had happened.

My thoughts are that there was some sort of clerical error (the money got credited to the wrong account, for instance) but later I found out that one of the bank managers had disappeared under mysterious circumstances (no foul play, but one day they were just gone). This was not the first time the company had had problems with this bank, either, but for some reason they stay there.

At the insistence of one of the managers her employment was terminated, so she took that time to go back to school. Like so many in this economy she hasn't been able to find another job, and had to put out money to the courts to get her good name cleared.

Last week that manager was taken into Federal custody for embezzlement and faces state charges for larceny for stealing lottery tickets and cash from her employer. The same employer, by the way. Her actions were all captured on hidden cameras, so there is no doubt.

Mama tried to raise me right and told me not take pleasure at the misfortunes of others, but I can't help but find a great deal of humor in this particular ironic case.

The Hits Keep Rolling

I'm over 10,000 hits now, and they are coming from such interesting places as the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the Bureau of Land Management in Utah.

I'm not quite sure what to think about that. It's not just one hit from either, and going by the Sitemeter stats it wasn't some sort of web search that lead either of them here.

I have quite a few that seemingly check in on their own and a lot of hits from various web searches with the term "last refuge of a scoundrel" in them. Occasionally someone will even leave a comment. (Feel free to do so, but keep in mind the comments are moderated. Spam and jackassery will not be approved.)

Anyway, welcome to my little corner of the net to all who enter here, take a look around and come back if you like what you see.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to Moms everywhere.

With Bells On

I have been riding (legally) since I was fourteen and have owned the Harley for over twenty years now, but I had never heard this story.

One of my co-workers bought himself a V-Rod as a divorce present (incidentally, that's how I got my FXRS-Sp) and one of his friends bought him a bell to go on it.

The legend of the bell has it that evil road spirits (we in the aviation world call them "gremlins") cannot abide the sound of bells, get caught in the hallow (the bell-shaped part) where the constant ringing drives them crazy, fall out and cause potholes.

To maximize the effect, the bell must be given to you. If you buy your own, the magic is much diminished and may not work at all.

Here's a link to Crazy Eddie's where you can find the entire story.

And Then There Were Three

The third SEAL has now been found not guilty.

Humble Pie

On one of the email lists that I am on we have a guy that will get his head wrapped around a single issue, or sometimes a detail about a single issue, and worry it to death.

I got rather short with one of my replies to him and then found out that he suffers from Autistic Spectrum Disorder which is why he focuses on single things like he does.

Of course this made me feel like a heel and prompted an apology, which he seemed to take without any problems. Sometimes a recalibration to the patience setting is needed, and I guess that was a pretty effective way of letting me know it was due.

It doesn't let anyone off the hook that suffers from simple stupidity, however, and the world is full of them.

Chain Mail

Perhaps you have seen this email, or one like it:

"Courage.
You're a 19 year old kid.
You're critically wounded and dying in the jungle somewhere in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam.
It's November 11, 1967.
LZ (landing zone) X-ray.
Your unit is outnumbered 8-1 and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 yards away, that your CO (commanding officer) has ordered the MedEvac helicopters to stop coming in.
You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns and you know you're not getting out.
Your family is half way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again.
As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day.
Then - over the machine gun noise - you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter.
You look up to see a Huey coming in. But ... It doesn't seem real because no MedEvac markings are on it.
Captain Ed Freeman is coming in for you.
He's not MedEvac so it's not his job, but he heard the radio call and decided he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire anyway.
Even after the MedEvacs were ordered not to come. He's coming anyway.
And he drops it in and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 3 of you at a time on board.
Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire to the doctors and nurses and safety.
And, he kept coming back!! 13 more times!!
Until all the wounded were out. No one knew until the mission was over that the Captain had been hit 4 times in the legs and left arm.
He took 29 of you and your buddies out that day. Some would not have made it without the Captain and his Huey.
Medal of Honor Recipient, Captain Ed Freeman, United States Air Force,
died last Wednesday at the age of 70, in Boise, Idaho ..
May God Bless and Rest His Soul.
I bet you didn't hear about this
hero's passing, but we've sure seen a whole bunch about Michael
Jackson and Tiger Woods.
Medal of Honor Winner Captain Ed Freeman
Shame on the American media !!!
Now ... YOU pass this along to YOUR
mailing list. Honor this real American.
Please."

The problem with this is that MAJOR Ed Freeman, US Army (not Air Force, the USAF disdains helicopters) died in August 2008, long before Jocko Jackson died or Tiger Woods crashed his car.

Major Bruce Crandall and his wingman Captain Ed Freeman flew into that man-made hellhole not 13 times, but at least 21. They brought in ammunition and supplies, and not 29 but more than 70 wounded flew out on Captain Freeman's bird, many who may not have survived otherwise.

Fourteen of those missions, and 30 of those wounded, were flown after MedEvac helos refused to fly. (This is the source of the numbers in the email meme.) He was awarded the Medal of Honor by President George W. Bush in July 2001 for his heroic actions. The post office in his hometown of McLain, MS is named in his honor.

His story was told in the book "We Were Soldiers Once...and Young" by Joe Galloway and LtGen Harold Moore, and captured on film in the movie "We Were Soldiers" starring Mel Gibson as Harold Moore and Greg Kinnear as Major Bruce Crandall.

This email meme serves to downgrade the Major's accomplishments and at the same time uses his death in a manner that does not honor his memory. This one dies with me, it will not be forwarded (not that I forward many of them anyway).

If you see it, let it die with you as well.

Is It Is, Or Is It Ain't?

Last Saturday, May the first, someone built a device into a Pathfinder and parked it next to the Viacom building in New York, right off of Times Square.

Beltway Bob says it's an act of terror, but AG Holder refuses to call it terrorism.

Home Again, Home Again

Back just in time to go back to work.

The Mighty Rampage did well on it's outing, the intake vacuum problem seems to finally be fixed since the carburetor is no longer dripping at idle. It still needs to be adjusted, I haven't had the time to do that, so I still get a bit of bucking just before the transition (between single barrel and double barrel operation).

300+ dollars in parts ordered for the Pontiac. Eldest Son will be tearing it down and putting it back together over the weekend, hopefully it will be ready to go next Wednesday. It will be getting the head gasket, timing chain, and a lift motor in the passenger window replaced. That should take care of all of it's quirks (until the next one shows up). The quarterly bonus got paid out this payday, so it's going towards car repairs (the Rampage needs back tires as well).

The PET scan is complete and we met with the surgeon who is supposed to be taking care of the liver. He said something that interested me, he seems to be of the mind that if he is going in he might as well get everything, liver and lungs. I didn't know that was possible.

We are waiting for him to give us a call after he studies the PET scan results, and he was indicating that next week he will be ready to perform the procedure. He wants time to meet with the oncologist as well so they can get a plan worked up.

All in all it looks like this trip was fruitful and something will finally get moving with her treatments.

Dammit

Tomorrow the wife and I have to go to Rocky Mount so that she can get a test done, then Wednesday we meet with the doc. I've been working on her car all weekend to get it ready for the trip; new struts to fix the bounce, new tires, and a new hose on the power steering.

The plan was that I would work half a night tonight, come home and get some Z's, and then we would head out bright and early in the morning. Alas, plans never survive first contact.

First contact came in the guise of a puff of smoke out of the tailpipe when I was about halfway to work. By the time I was three quarters of the way, the puff had turned into a vapor cloud and the temp gauge was climbing.

Third blown head gasket on this car since I have owned it. I hate this car. The only good thing I can say about it at this point is at least it didn't blow the head gasket halfway to Rocky Mount. I would like to treat it to a suitable application of high explosives, but the wife likes her little Pontiac so I will fix it. Again.

Anyway, work is canceled and I spent the night working on the faithful mighty Rampage instead. It needed an EGR valve, and I had bought some gauges that I wanted to put in it. It also needs some minor adjustments to the door latches on the drivers door and various other little projects. What can I say, it's my little beater car and it's been a good one.

I put the EGR valve in and the rest of the little projects (including the gauges) will have to wait. We will take the Rampage to Rocky Mount instead, it doesn't have AC but I guess we will have to suffer through it. Thankfully it's not horribly hot yet, and we will be traveling in the morning, so the lack of AC shouldn't be a big issue.

So the new plan is Wednesday when I get home I get to tear the engine apart on the Pontiac. I'll order the parts Wednesday and hopefully they will be in by Friday so I can put the motor back together before I have to go to work Saturday night.

Between the Pontiac, doctor's visits and work I haven't had much time lately.

UPDATE: The PET scan machine was broken so that didn't get done. It will be fixed Friday, so she will get that done and then another appointment with another doctor. I don't know if Fate is trying to keep me from getting the Pontiac fixed or just trying to give me a day of rest cooling my heels in the motel room. Either way, that's my life.

Huh

I don't usually remember dreams, but this one I did.

In the dream I was attending some sort of class (I can't recall what) and there was going to be an early morning session at which some sort of breakfast would be served.

I showed up early at the same time as one other classmate (I can't even remember his face), but we weren't the first ones there. We greeted each other at the door and walked in. There were perhaps a dozen tables of various types, decorated in various ways from elaborate to simple to not at all. Each table had an index card on it with a price, the lowest I saw on a plain undecorated table was $25.

The four or five people that had arrived before us were all sitting around a table that had an elaborate floral arrangement in the middle of it. As we approached they snubbed me, but not my companion. He sat at a plain table next to theirs, I picked a desk that was decorated with a green blotter and various writing and reference materials. It looked to me like the sort of desk you would find in a private study. The index card on the desk said $40.

There was a comfortable looking desk chair behind it, so I sat down there. There were roughly a half dozen other chairs of various types around the perimeter of the desk, some of them were bar stools and some of them were wooden kitchen chairs, some of them were the upholstered types that you might find at a dining room table.

The first chair wasn't as comfortable as it looked so I moved one seat counter-clockwise to a captain's chair type of bar stool that put my knees just below the level of the desktop. It was taller than I would have liked, but more comfortable. Others joined me until all the chairs were taken. Each table got a carafe of coffee, ours was a plastic container with a Styrofoam wrap. It reminded me of the sort of pitcher you get for water at a hospital.

Various people walked up to the desk (none of them in our little group) and helped themselves to our coffee until I finally got the pitcher and started to pour myself a cup. A couple showed up, plainly expecting me to pour them some coffee. I told them there was only one cup left as I poured it into my own Styrofoam cup. The woman wandered off, but the man became slightly combative. I told him there was nothing he had that I wanted more than that coffee, he called me selfish and I replied "I am John Galt." He walked off in a snit (I don't know how he fit into it).

My cup turned out to have a slow leak pinhole in the side near the bottom, and as I drank my coffee I found another bigger hole next to it. I ended up having to hold my fingers over the holes to keep it from draining out.

In the manner of dreams I remember my desk-mates and I laughed and made small talk. The mood was jovial, but I don't remember any faces or any of the subjects we talked about. About that time I noticed that there were pastries at some of the other tables, but none at ours.

I really wish I could tell you what happened next, but about that time I woke up.

I'm sure some brain analyst could tell me what it all means, but I just found it interesting because I remembered it at all.

Apropos of nothing, I suppose, I always dream in color and surround sound. I am also always aware that it is a dream, and I am able to rewind it and change something if I don't like the way it is going. Other people tell me that is weird, but I've always been able to do it.

Link

The Draking Point.

Enjoy!

Acquittal

The second of three Navy SEALs has been cleared of charges that he abused, or allowed to be abused, an Iraqi prisoner suspected of killing four American contractors. The first of the three was cleared earlier in the month.

I fully expect the third to be cleared when he goes to trial next month.

Apropos of nothing, I suppose, I notice that it has been a while since we last captured any terrorists, but we sure have killed a few.

Papers Please

In "Hunt for Red October" the captain has a conversation with his XO about how America will be. Specifically they discuss the right to travel from place to place:

Capt. Vasili Borodin: I will live in Montana. And I will marry a round American woman and raise rabbits, and she will cook them for me. And I will have a pickup truck... maybe even a "recreational vehicle." And drive from state to state. Do they let you do that?
Captain Ramius: I suppose.
Capt. Vasili Borodin: No papers?
Captain Ramius: No papers, state to state.
Capt. Vasili Borodin: Well then, in winter I will live in... Arizona. Actually, I think I will need two wives.
Captain Ramius: Oh, at least."

In Arizona they have just passed a law that will make it illegal for a citizen to be in public without his papers, even if he is doing nothing that would otherwise be illegal. Opponents of the bill argue that this restricts the rights of the people to travel, while supporters trot out the tired old canard "if you aren't doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about."

If you can't guess, I am in opposition to this bill because I am in the camp that says that it will end up restricting the rights of a free people to come and go unhindered. This is actually kind of funny, because I had a similar conversation with a co-worker on this very subject not long ago, and if that conversation had not taken place I might not be thinking about the subject in this way.

The co-worker in question was born and raised in Maryland. He served honorably for 20+ years in the US Marine Corps and retired as a Gunnery Sergeant. He is of Hispanic descent, has an Hispanic surname and has the slight olive skin tone to match that surname. He is an American, from the top of his head to the soles of his feet.

In Arizona he had better not walk the streets without his wallet. The simple act of being in public without ID has now become a crime.

In all honesty I had not given it a second thought before then, because I had never had to deal with the possibility that I would be mistaken for any other nationality than American. We're talking PASTY white boy here. Does my USMC friend have any less right to walk down the streets as I? In Arizona it appears as if he does, and that's simply not right. He is as much an American as I am, with all the rights an American has as his birthright.

Yes, there is a real problem with illegal immigration here. Is the answer to seal the borders up tight? A difficult proposition at best, and one that history shows is prone to fail.

The real problem seems to be that people who are here illegally are a drain on public resources without paying taxes. The answer I have is to deny them public assistance beyond basic services (emergency rooms, etc) unless citizenship can be proven. So far as I know, this is one of the major sticking points - that the children of illegals that were born here are "anchor babies" and qualify for public assistance. Key the nationality of the child to the mother and that problem goes away.

(Note that I am sidestepping the question of our very own home-grown worthless that likewise clog the welfare roles. I'm not denying their existence, but they are not the subject here.)

I am not in opposition to a safety net, I am in opposition to a hammock. You should have to establish citizenship in order to qualify for the public dole, that assistance should be for a set amount of time, and there should be a work or school qualifier. If no jobs are to be had in the private sector, surely there is trash alongside the road that needs to be picked up. Take Caesar's coin, pay Caesar's price.

Simple supply and demand, if you supply need you will have no shortage of needy. Would this work, or at least be a part of the solution? I don't know. "Workfare" that was passed by the Republican Revolution Congress and signed by President Clinton seemed to work pretty well, so that could be a good guide.

This goes rather far afield, I did not intend to discuss welfare. There are other problems with illegals, but they all seem to revolve around public assistance of one sort or another. I don't have all the answers, and I suspect any answers would have to be field evaluated for effectiveness. What I do know is that any power will eventually be abused. This is why the powers of Government are supposed to be enumerated and limited.

"Papers please" is not a good way to go.

Thanks for opening my eyes, Mike.

(Yes, I realize that this puts me on the same side of the issue as most Democrats. They can't be wrong all the time, even if it is for the wrong reasons.)

UPDATE: Another idea. All business with government agencies will be conducted in English. We still haven't gotten around to that one.

In The News?

So there was this TEA party in Raleigh last Thursday.

I don't blame you if you missed it. It certainly didn't show up on any of the news channels that I saw.

That doesn't mean that certain people can afford to pretend it didn't happen.

Photo from American Elephant

Coming Attractions

My new favorite author has posted seven chapters of a non-MHI book he is working on, called The Grimnoir Chronicles.

Monster Hunter Vendetta is due to be released this fall, and I already have it pre-ordered.

Monster Hunter Alpha is in the works.

A work that he is co-writing, Dead Six, should be nearing completion soon as well.

Several other book ideas are in the hopper for him as well.

Life is good.

UPDATE: And this is just too cool! Baen, his publisher, donates books to the US Navy.

Since 1773

If ya got a pitcher, ya gotta have a catcher...just sayin'...

Brandon Darby, American Hero

Here is a story about a raving lefty who decided to do the right thing in post-Katrina New Orleans and came to the realization that everything he knew was wrong.

Because of his realization he worked with the FBI to disrupt a plot to attack the 2008 Republican National Convention that might have left people dead or injured. He is now vilified on the left because of it.

It's a good read. Go take a look.

HT: Mr Yon, commenter at AoSHQ.

Home Again

She's back home and everyone is glad to see her.

Click the picture to see more (some captions are NSFW).

Good and Bad

It's been a rather busy week.

Easter Sunday I was once again at the ER with the wife. Once more they pumped her full of fluids and couldn't figure out what was wrong.

Tuesday she got in touch with her original oncologist and set up an appointment with him, a little more than an hour's drive away.

Yesterday we went to the appointment and got the low down on her condition. For the first time I know what type of cancer she has (adenocarcinoma) and what stage (it was at I but is now at IV since she has tumors in the liver now, not surprising since the liver filters the "dead" cancer cells out of the blood). That the cancer has now spread to other organs besides the lung is the bad news.

The liver shouldn't be a major issue since the tumor can be removed and the liver is the only organ that will regenerate. He is scheduling the surgery now.

The good part about all that is the tissue that is removed from the liver can then be analyzed to refine the treatment method. Since it's now a stage IV it is now classified as "incurable" but since the tumors have not been shrinking since the end of radiation treatments this does not come as a huge shock.

The doc that is looking after her now was the one that was looking after her in the beginning. He left the local clinic due to a disagreement with the head doc; he is in favor of more aggressive and experimental treatments and the head doc tends to stick with the old ways. He's kind of upset that her cancer has progressed as much as it has, he is of the opinion that the treatments were not aggressive enough and if they had been she would be at stage I still.

At least we are getting some clear feedback now, it has been a while since that has happened. I'm willing to make the longer drive if it means she gets better care. I know how it eventually ends, but the longer we can put that end out into the future the better.

She did not get the med port put in, by the way. She's still going to get it done, it just hasn't happened yet.

Anyway, back to the chain of events. Yesterday at the doc's office she told him she could feel another episode coming on, and sure enough before it even got dark outside she was sick again. We called the doc and he said to bring her to the hospital by his clinic, the one that is a bit over an hour away.

She's there now resting comfortably and he says he will have her until Tuesday at the earliest. I'll go back to work tomorrow and Tuesday will know if I need to go get her or not. It is my fondest hope that he will be able to figure out what's causing the nausea and make it not happen any more. He seems to have a pretty good handle on it, so we will see.

In the meantime the car that we will be using for this soon-to-be regular commute needs front struts, tires and a timing chain. These are all items that have been needed for a while but pushed back because of this or that.

If it is going to get all these miles stacked up on it they need to get done sooner rather than later. I have all the front end parts, Eldest Son will be putting them on and then I'll go get the tires and alignment done. The timing chain will get done when the next round of funds come in.

I think I'll be happy to go back to work. I need the rest.

Dealing With Pirates

Early last week pirates fired on and tried to capture US Navy frigate USS Nicholas. Apparently they could not tell the difference in the dark between a US Navy warship and an unarmed civilian freighter.

It was their hope to hold the ship for ransom. Instead the ship returned fire, sinking them, and captured their mother ship. To put it lightly, it didn't end well for them.

Well done USS Nicholas.

Later last week a tanker came under attack and called for help. A Swedish patrol aircraft located the scene of the attack and US Navy destroyer USS Farragut responded to the scene. Again it did not end well for the pirates as another mother ship was sunk.

Well done USS Farragut.

Experts say piracy will continue to be a problem until an effective government is established on Somalia's lawless shores, but if enough pirates are captured or killed it might persuade the rest them to find another line of work.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow she goes to get the med port put in.

She has resisted it so far because as long as she didn't have it she didn't have to acknowledge that her condition is not temporary.

She has gotten tired of continuous sticks whenever she has to visit the ER, and since those visits have been frequent as of late (she went in Sunday night for a few hours) she's decided it's time.

The doctor's office that we have to go to in order for the insurance to cover the procedure is an hour away. They wouldn't cover the same procedure at the local clinic with the same doctors. I don't know why, just one of those things about insurance companies.

On a related note, a news story tonight on NBC News mentioned that Inositol, available over the counter at health food stores, has been discovered to positively affect cancerous cells (they specifically spoke of lung cancer) in six of ten patients. We will pick some up tomorrow.

Can't hurt, might help.

Belated April Fool's Day

My new favorite author has a sick sense of humor.

Happy Easter

Daughter and her newly wed hubby are here and Easter dinner preparation is underway.

Hope you and yours have a good one.

It's A Done Deal

Middle daughter's wedding went off today without problems. The minister mispronounced their last name as he introduced them and she hissed the correct pronunciation at him. Her new mother in law told her "Get used to that!"

Vows have been exchanged, wedding cake has been consumed (they wimped out, neither one got the cake face treatment) and receptions have been recepted. Much needed naps have been caught and we will call this one a successful day.

Hope you had a good one today as well.

Nice Timing

So apparently there are two ceremonies in the state of North Carolina, or at least that is what happened in this case.

At any rate, I went to the magistrates office this afternoon to witness Middle Daughter's marriage. In the eyes of the State of North Carolina, she is now lawfully hitched although the paperwork won't be filed until Monday.

The ceremony that everyone is going to be present at will still be Saturday, and that is the day that they will celebrate their anniversary on, but officially, they were married on April Fool's Day.

At any rate, Eldest Daughter has arrived and Middle Daughter has gone to be surprised by her presence. Hamburgers and steaks on the grille will be the order of the day.

Submitted Without Comment

HT: Ace of Spades HQ

OK, one comment. You would really like to believe this is an April Fools joke. Unfortunately, it's not.

In Defense of the First

I am about to say something that will probably not endear me to the more conservative of my readers.

It has to do with the recent decision by the Fourth Court of Appeals to overturn the award given to the father of slain Marine LCPL Matthew Snyder and the order by the same court for him to pay the Westboro Baptist Church $16,510 in legal fees.

The Westboro Baptist Church, for the two or three of you that don't know, pickets the funerals of fallen servicemembers holding such signs as "Thank God For Dead Soldiers" to protest Don't Ask Don't Tell. They are of the opinion that DADT is a wink and a nod at homosexuals serving in the ranks, and say that God allows our servicemembers to die because of that sinful act. (No link to that hateful group, Google them if you haven't had your daily dose of filth.)

Their protests are without honor and all in the Fred Phelps hate cult are reprehensible and vile people. I believe there is a special place reserved in Hell for them, right next to ambulance chasing lawyers. (FWIW, several of them are lawyers themselves.)

Here's where I will cause the howls of outrage.

I do not believe that Albert Snyder should have ever been awarded a settlement. As reprehensible as the actions of the WBC are, I believe they are protected under the free speech clause of the First Amendment, and the award was a violation of that Amendment.

I likewise do not support any effort to bring the police power of the Federal, State or local governments against the WBC as long as they are not causing physical or financial harm. I believe the First Amendment gives them the right to be as reprehensible as they want to be as long as they are not causing physical or financial harm. Where do I draw the line, you may ask. My answer is at physical or financial harm.

The reason I do not support the passage of any laws aimed against them is that the same laws that would bar the WBC from protesting could also conceivably be used to keep the Patriot Guard Riders from forming their flag lines. The same laws that would shut Code Pinko up could also be used to shut the Tea Parties down. Any laws you agree to pass that ends up silencing your enemies can also conceivably be used to silence your supporters.

If you truly support the freedom of speech included in the First Amendment, you must support the right of people you disagree with to say disagreeable things in a disagreeable manner, as long as they are not causing physical or financial harm. (Crying "Fire!" in a crowded theater directly causes physical and financial harm, for instance, so that is not allowed.)

The problem with "reasonable" restrictions on our freedoms, regardless of the Amendment involved, is with who gets to define "reasonable" as proponents of the Second can well attest. Who defines reasonable? In my opinion there is no such thing as a reasonable restriction on my rights.

Remember the hue and cry over Deem and Pass, and the leftists pointing out "Well the Republicans did it too!" Yes they did, which is why Deem and Pass should have never been allowed, for any reason at all. The same cudgel you form to smite your enemies can be turned against you, which is why we were warned that Government, like fire, is a handy servant and a dangerous master.

I also do not support the Fourth Court's decision to award legal fees to the WBC. I can't for the life of me see where they can justify that decision, but I trust the Supreme Court will settle it out.

And if they don't, Bill O'Reilly has pledged to pay them for Albert Snyder. Contact your local VFW if you would like to help.

UPDATE: Smart conservative Ivy League trained lawyer Ann Colter gets it wrong. I'm not a smart Ivy League lawyer, but maybe Ann should read my column.

More Lights

In my attempts to promote LED lights I replaced some blown out halogen bulbs in my half bath with some GE LED units. I was hoping they would be as good as the Topco units I put in my kitchen fixtures. Again the disclaimer, I work for the company that makes the LEDs that go into the Topco bulbs. Not the bulbs themselves, just the LEDs.

I don't know who makes the LEDs for the GE lights, but they suuuuuuuck! If you are considering LED lighting, take a pass on the GE GU10 LED lights. Go right ahead and spend the money for the Topco lights for your down-lighting fixtures though.

(Down-lighting fixtures are the kinds that the bulb globe points downward in, usually hung from the ceilings or mounted on poles. The Topco units have a metal lower globe (the end nearer the screw in base) and a translucent upper globe, so the light projects in a half-circle from the top of the bulb. They work extremely well in down-light fixtures, less so in lamps or other fixtures where the globe points upwards.)

Tomorrow I'll go uptown and get some halogens to put back in the bathroom.

Sergeant First Class Jared C. Monti, U.S. Army

On the 21st of June, 2006, SFC Monti and his team were conducting reconnaissance in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan. When they came under fire SFC Monti dug his men in and called for indirect fire support.

When one of his teammates was hit by enemy fire, SFC Monti attempted three times to reach that man, suffering mortal wounds on the third attempt.

SFC Monti was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions on 19 September 2009, becoming the sixth recipient for combat actions in the Global War on Terror.

Rest well, SFC Monti. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten.

Photo from the CMOHS.org website

Drill Baby Drill

The President has decided to open the East Coast and parts of the Gulf Coast for oil and natural gas exploration.

I applaud the President's decision.

There is speculation that this is an attempt to woo Republican votes for the upcoming cap and trade legislation. While this may be true, I am more of the opinion that it is an economic necessity.

Candidate Obama said that it would be a futile gesture, but I believe that was just a way to differentiate between himself and his Republican opponents. Candidate Obama had that latitude, but President Obama will eventually have to face the economic reality, and that reality is that we cannot rely on foreign oil sources for the long term.

I may be wrong to give him the benefit of the doubt here, and it is probable that it is a combination of the two reasons, but whatever the reason in my opinion it is a long needed step in the right direction. I'm willing to give him credit (or at least partial credit) where it is due.

It will take a while for any boon to be realized; first there will have to be geological and environmental surveys, followed by the inevitable environmental group challenges in courts, but the sooner we start the sooner we can get the product on the market.

I have always held the opinion that if it is going to take ten years to get the product to market we should have started ten years ago. Better late than never.

UPDATE: Confederate Yankee points to a different take on it. His conclusion: "...sound and fury, signifying nothing."

Another RCOB Moment

I got this from Gunslinger's Journal:

Neither Waxman or Stupak -- who betrayed the pro-life community by negotiating for more than a week with the White House to ensure his vote on the health care bill -- had anything more than a cursory understanding of how the many sections of the bill would impact business or even individual citizens before they voted on the bill, says House Energy Democrat staff. "We had memos on these issues, but none of our people, we think, looked at them," says a staffer. "When they saw the stories last week about the charges some of the companies were taking, they were genuinely surprised and assumed that the companies were just doing this to embarrass them. They really believed this bill would immediately lower costs. They just didn't understand what they were voting on."

What is it we pay these guys for again?

Good Career Decisions

My soon to be 11 year old son told me today that he wants to be a bikini model photographer.

I, of course, fully support his career choice.

It Hurts Their Widdew Feewings

Suck it up nancy.

And just in case you forgot...

Yeah, I'm about done with nice.

Civic Duties

I've been kicking around an idea.

Most military recruits, in fact most Americans, have no idea what our Constitution actually says or what it means. Since military recruits are sworn to support and defend that particular document it would probably be a good idea for them to know what it says.

My proposal is as follows: When the potential recruit reports for basic training, he or she is immediately enrolled in class. This is done before any oaths are administered, and for the duration of this class the potential recruit's liberties are not restricted in any way. He or she keeps his/her curly locks and may come and go as they please, they will be fed and sheltered by the military at the military installation where they are training at no cost to themselves, and the only responsibility they have is to show up for class. They will even draw a paycheck at the rank of E-1R (recruit) for the duration of this training.

Failure to show up for class without proper authorization will result in a letter of rejection entered into the potential recruit's service record. The potential recruit will be denied the opportunity to take the oath and will be returned to his or her home of record with an RE-4A re-enlistment code and a "failure to complete military training" annotation in his or her service record. No further administrative or disciplinary actions will be taken. This is a volunteer service, after all.

The class will consist solely of the history, text, context and meaning of the Constitution of the United States, to include: the reasons for the Constitutional Convention that created that document; the articles therein and the debate surrounding the adoption of the articles as they were written; an examination of the first ten amendments (known as the Bill of Rights) and the debate surrounding the adoption of these amendments (including a study of the Federalist Papers); and a study of the rest of the amendments, the reasons for their adoption, the debate surrounding each one, and the results of their adoption. Tests will be given on each section to assure the students understand the materials.

At any time the student can request disenrollment by reporting to the Personnel Office. The aforementioned RE-4A re-enlistment code and "failed to complete military training" entry will be made in their service record, a ticket to their home of record will be issued, and the matter will be considered closed.

The next class will be a study of the oath of enlistment. The history, text and meaning will be topics of discussion, with additional discussions on such topics as "The Nuremburg Defense: Why It Doesn't Work" and "Orders: Lawful or Unlawful, And How To Tell The Difference." The potential recruit will be tested to ensure that he or she fully understands each and every aspect of the oath. Again, the student can disenroll at any time by reporting to the Personnel Office.

At the completion of the required training, the potential recruit will be placed on one week of administration leave. During that time the recruit can go and do whatever he or she pleases with orders to report back to the installation the following Monday for the administration of the oath and the completion of the enlistment process (including the drug test, so behave yourself kids).

Should the potential recruit not show up, his or her service record will be annotated as noted before. Should the potential recruit choose to opt out of military service he or she may report to the Personnel Office to receive a ticket home (with the appropriate entries made in his or her service record). Again, no further administrative or disciplinary actions will be taken in either case.

Only after the prospective recruit has been fully informed of the gravity of his or her proposed duties, and only after the prospective recruit has been fully tested as to their understanding of it, and only after the prospective recruit has been given the opportunity to reflect on the actions which they are about to undertake, will they be allowed to take the Oath of Enlistment. At that time the prospective recruit becomes Recruit, with the rank of E-1, and is placed into the chain of command.

Even those who choose to hightail it on home will be better for the experience, and those who choose to take the oath will be fully cognizant of the burden they are about to take up.

What do you think of my proposal?

Wasting Time

Today as I attempted to put the crown molding up in the spare room, I managed to create $100 worth of scrap wood. Since my wood budget for this project is now busted I am considering it a bad idea and going for option 2 after the wedding.

Option 2 is baseboard mounted upside down and topped with quarter round. It doesn't have to be mounted at an angle like the crown molding, so it's easier to cut for 45 degree corners and 13 degree ceiling slopes.

Other than that, I have discovered a new favorite beer for the Refuge. The new favored beverage is Drifter Pale Ale, although Sierra Nevada still remains in second place.

Steaks on the grille topped off the day, so it wasn't all bad.

Addition To The Blogroll

Please welcome Blackiswhite, Imperial Consigliere from Taxes, Stupidity and Death.

Nice Republic You Got There

It would be a shame if anything happened to it.

How could this happen, you may ask?

Simple. Slavery is easy. Freedom is hard.

A Republic, If You Can Keep It

"Paradoxically enough, the release of initiative and enterprise made possible by popular self-government ultimately generates disintegrating forces from within. Again and again after freedom has brought opportunity and some degree of plenty, the competent become selfish, luxury-loving and complacent, the incompetent and the unfortunate grow envious and covetous, and all three groups turn aside from the hard road of freedom to worship the Golden Calf of economic security. The historical cycle seems to be: From bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to apathy; from apathy to dependency; and from dependency back to bondage once more."
Henning W. Prentis, Industrial Management in a Republic, March 18, 1943

Today we find out.

Busy Work

I've been doing some woodwork at the Refuge lately.

Before everyone moved back home we were going from room to room remodeling. The Refuge is a manufactured home, which means it is a fancy double-wide that the wheels were never permanently attached to. It was brought in on a couple of flatbeds and put into place.

Because of that the interior woodwork is pretty basic, and not real wood. The wife wanted real wood and she wanted to lessen the "trailer house" look of the windows. I accomplished that by putting up window trim around the windows right against the steel frame. Of course once the curtains go up all of that is hidden, but it looks better.

We got one room done and started on a second, getting as far as taking the old "wood" down and painting the walls. About that time the little boys moved in with us, so work on the room was suspended. Now that they are back in Florida and Middle Daughter is getting married, we are going to be playing host to the future in-laws for the wedding. This means that the wood trim work had to be completed.

I got as far as putting up the door and window trim and the base boards in, so all that is left is the crown molding. The room has one 45 degree corner and a slant to the ceiling of about thirteen degrees, so it will be a lot of fun figuring out how to do that.

I also put a pair of Topco LED lights in the kitchen fixture, they are 7 watt bulbs that put out as much light as 60 watt incandescents. They are expensive but work very well in the fixture and should last almost forever. One of the good things about LED lights as opposed to CFLs is there is no mercury to worry about if they need to be disposed of.

(Standard disclaimer, I work for the company that makes the LEDs for this light; not the bulb itself but the LEDs that go into them.)

That's how I spent my "weekend" this week.

Our Government At Work

I recently contacted the National Archives to ask about getting some documents.

The cost of getting copies of these documents, which were prepared at taxpayer expense over 90 years ago, is over $500.

I wonder what it would cost me if it was free.

Fun With Doctors

She has been in the hospital since Saturday.

Monday came and went, and no one on the hospital staff bothered to call her oncologist to let him know she was there.

Yesterday I went to take her some clothes and talked to the doc that was attending. He was a dark swarthy fellow that was obviously born off shore somewhere. I asked him if they had bothered to call Doc Hunter yet. What I got was a roundabout BS story that basically ended with "no."

I dropped by the clinic and told them she was next door. They were annoyed that the hospital had not bothered to inform them. Doc Hunter stomped over and raised hell with them, and then issued a new set of marching orders.

If all goes well she will be home tomorrow.

UPDATE: She's home tonight. Everyone is glad to see her, especially puppy.

Reading Materials

Moose from Alone: King of One left a comment in the post below that made me kind of ashamed that I hadn't posted about his link. I posted the link without explanation or fanfare, but I usually put at least a little blurb about the new links. I failed to do so with this one, and I need to make amends. So, here goes!

On the links at the right you will find "King of One" which is a story by the aforementioned Moose. I found his story by way of Monster Hunters International, which by now I hope needs no further explanation.

The link takes you to the chapters of his story. It's a good read. You should go read the whole thing and enjoy it immensely.

Why are you still here?

Funneh

From comments at AoSHQ:

A short fairy tale for you..

Once upon a time, a guy asked a beautiful girl
'Will you marry me?'
The girl said, 'NO!'

And the guy lived happily ever after and rode motorcycles and went fishing and hunting and played golf a lot and drank beer and scotch and had tons of money in the bank and left the toilet seat up and farted whenever he wanted.

The end.

And speaking of AoSHQ, my workplace has now blocked it for being a known purveyor of perversion. Nice going Ace!

UPDATE: Hm, Confederate Yankee is blocked as well. Looks like it's a mu.nu thing.

Off The Air

I've been out of the loop for the last couple of days. The wife fell ill on Wednesday evening, so Friday she went to the ER. They found nothing, but was able to put enough fluids, anti-nausea medicine and painkillers in her that she was feeling better.

Yesterday the nausea and pain was back with a vengeance, so back to the ER we went. They ended up keeping her overnight, so now I'm waiting on a phone call to say that either she's ready to come home or they are keeping her longer.

She has recently started a new chemo therapy with pills instead of IV's, so I'm wondering if it's a reaction to the new meds. If they end up keeping her another night she will be able to see her oncologist tomorrow.

The house seems empty without her.

UPDATE: They are going to keep her another day, most likely so they can consult with the oncologist tomorrow although they haven't said that for sure. Boy and I will take her some clothes later, after they get done drying.

Puppy can't go, so he's moping.

Dumbed Down

I thought I got a pretty good education.

Having read this, I feel like an utter imbecile.

Note, salty language. His Rottiness is not known for his lack of invective.

Again?

Snow in the forecast tonight for the Triangle.

That makes five this year.

Eighteen days until spring.

UPDATE: The snow was maybe a half an inch deep on the car this morning, a light dusting of wet, heavy snow on the grass, but the roads were just wet. It was all gone by the afternoon.

Nom nom nom

Yummy!

I had a couple of bananas turning brown on the island, so I thought I'd try my hand at banana bread. It's my first attempt and it turned out pretty well.

I had four different recipes from my Clarinda Municipal Hospital Auxiliary cookbook, so I kind of picked and borrowed to come up with my own, based on the ingredients I had on hand.

So, without further ado, and presenting what I believe is the first recipe posted here:

Banana Bread

Ingredients: (in order of appearance)
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
OPT: 1/2 cup crushed walnuts

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Stir in mashed bananas. Sift in flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Mix in crushed walnuts, if desired. Pour batter into greased 5x7 bread pan and bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Remove from oven and let sit for 30 minutes. Remove from pan, slice and enjoy!

The wife doesn't like walnuts so I make mine without. It's delish either way.

Death Of A Wagon

The Aries is no more.

Some time around Thanksgiving the Rampage quit on me again, carburetor problems still (which I think may now be fixed). I took the Aries away from daughter and was driving it back and forth to work.

On the last day in November at about 6 PM I had just pulled into the left turn lane and was about 100 yards from the intersection, intending to turn left at the light. That's when it happened.

A Jeep CJ that was in the straight through lane right beside me decided that it wanted to go into a driveway off to the left side of the road. The problem, of course, was that I was right at it's back bumper when the driver spun the wheel and punched the gas. Contact was made between the Jeep's left rear wheel and my right front bumper.

I stopped dead in the middle of the turn lane, neatly blocking the driveway that the Jeep was aiming for. The Jeep spun about on it's right front tire and came to rest diagonally in the oncoming lane, facing me.

I got out to check on the other driver, but she flatly refused to emerge from her vehicle. She did not come out until the police arrived, so I didn't know if she was OK or not. I shouldn't have worried.

The police arrived at the scene and the driver of the Jeep told a different story (she claimed she was turning from the turn lane so that she wouldn't get ticketed). I asked how I hit her in the left rear tire with my right front bumper if she was in the turn lane ahead of me. The answer I got was something along the lines of "Good point, but since we have two stories we don't know who is telling the truth."

Apparently the Durham police aren't equipped to investigate mishaps. I asked them if they had been sick the day they taught accident investigation at cop school. They were not amused, and I'm sure it did nothing to help my case. No tickets were issued, but her insurance company totaled the wagon.

They will come to get it Monday.

I got more in settlement than I paid for it, including all the work I put into it to get it to run right, and the daughter drove it for two years. It doesn't owe me anything, but I'll miss it.

We never did get around to putting that dragon cloth on the headliner. I wonder what I can do with it.

It looks so lonely sitting out there by the road, all by itself.

This Is Why

If for no other reason, this is why Obamacare and any of it's zombie cohorts must be stopped, at all costs.

These life saving drugs are developed by the evil pharmaceutical companies, much like Adam Smith's baker, not out of some sense of altruistic generosity, but out of a quest for profit. Seven hundred million dollars were pledged to develop the drug in the story, not government dollars but private ones. Roche, the Swiss pharmaceutical company that invested these millions, stands to make billions if the drug is approved for use.

This money was invested in order to treat and possibly cure a deadly disease. Out of this drug others may be developed that could successfully treat other types of cancers. It will take years to develop them and bring them to market, but maybe one day the scourge of modern man can be defeated as polio was defeated in the last century.

Under socialized medicine the profits would not be worth the investment, and medicines like this will not be developed. Capitalism is the prod that drives these innovations, a search for products that will bring their developers wealth and sometimes fame. I wish Roche all the best in their search for outrageous fortune.

They will deserve it. They will have earned every dollar.

HT: Legal Insurrection

More Snow

A light dusting this time, nothing is sticking to the roadways but there is a pale cast to the grass and anything else that is cold enough for it to stick to.

That makes four snow events here in North Carolina this year, and I'm more than ready for spring.

Note To The Blogroll

If you are in my blogroll and I haven't been by to visit for a while, don't take it personally. I don't always get around as often as I would like.

If you have linked to me and I have not linked to you, and you want me to, please drop me a line and I'll do so. Links are there for my amusement, but a little reciprocity never hurt anyone.

Cary, I wish I had some profound and comforting words for you. I'm sorry that I don't. Somehow anything I can think of sounds trite and empty, so instead I will just offer prayers and condolences, and maybe that will do.

Thanks for all the comments (to those who comment), and thanks for dropping by!

Unbelievable

I haven't been surfing my links for a while, so I went to the Gunslinger's to see what I had missed.

That's where I read this:

In today's issue of a Boston newspaper there is a Letter to the Editor,
from a local high-school teacher:

"... current school security procedures lock down school populations in the event of armed assault. Some advocate abandoning this practice as it holds everyone in place, allowing a shooter easily to find victims. An alternative is immediate exodus, via announcement. Although this removes potential hostages... it unfairly rewards resourceful children who move to safety... more shrewdly and efficiently than others. Schools should level playing fields, not intrinsically reward those more resourceful..."

It gets even better:

"... some propose overturning laws that make schools gun-free zones... they argue that barring licensed-carry only ensures a defenseless, target-rich environment. But, as a Progressive, I would sooner lay my child to rest than succumb to the belief that the use of a gun for self-defense is somehow not in itself a gun crime."

Apparently this high school teacher would rather see your children die equally than see some of them escape because they are "more resourceful" and would also rather have your child die than have the fallacy of gun control shown for the farce that it is.

It made me think of this.

Who would you rather have teaching your children?

UPDATE: Math teacher tackles Columbine-style killer.

"If something happens and there's something that I can do about it, I want to try and do something about it," Benke said at a news conference with other staff members from Deer Creek Middle School, at times choking up with emotion. "I said, 'I hope that I'm capable of doing something about it."'

Well done, Doctor Benke.

On The Road

To the guy behind me, flashing your lights in my rear-view because 55 in a 45 isn't fast enough for you; do you drive a BMW because you're a D-bag, or are you a D-bag because you drive a BMW?

I know a couple who drive a BMW and aren't pretentious D-bags, and I know quite a few pretentious D-bags who don't drive BMWs, but given the frequency that they seem to be found together leads me to wonder if pretentious D-bag isn't a BMW target demographic.

At any rate, riding my bumper and flashing your lights won't get me to pull over on a narrow 2 lane road so you can pass. It will just get me to slow down to 35 in a 45.

Which leads me to my next question, am I an A-hole because I drive a Pontiac, or do I drive a Pontiac because I'm an A-hole?

Whatever. It's the wife's car anyway.

An Armed Society

Is a polite society.

Just sayin'.

HT: Gabe at Ace's Place

See How Nice I Am?

I see you out there, reading and never commenting. It's OK though, I really don't mind. I see the sitemeter turning over and I know you're there.

Just be lucky I'm not like this!

Spicy language alert, you have been warned.

Happy Happy

Happy Valentine's Day!

And if you are the sort that doesn't like Valentine's Day, Happy Chinese New Year!

Ladies, it could be worse. You could be married to this guy.

Interesting

Frankincense.

HT: The Knight Shift

Taxes

Like most of you, I listen to the radio while I'm driving.

Most of the time I listen to the local talk radio station on the AM dial, but when there is nothing on that I am interested in I will turn over to the FM music stations. That is how I found out about the proposed fees on recorded music being played over the airwaves.

House Resolution (H.R.) 848, the Performance Rights Act, seeks to force the payment of royalties for music played over the air. The thing about music played over the air is that artists used to pay kickbacks to the radio stations to play their music. This would get the songs out into the public's ears and compel them to buy the albums that their favorite tunes were recorded on.

My how times have changed!

A coalition of groups including the Recording Industry Association of America makes up an organization calling itself Music First. Music First, of course, is all for this legislation.

RIAA Chairman and CEO Mitch Bainwol says “This legislation is about fairness and a level playing field, plain and simple. The arguments for this legislation have never been more compelling, the time never more ripe, and the level of support within the music community never more strong.”

Music First Executive Director Jennifer Bendall adds “Radio is the only platform that does not pay a fair performance royalty to America’s artists and musicians.”

It sounds to me like Music First is a rather Orwellian term. They should call themselves Money First instead.

Perhaps these groups that make up Music First are not aware of the fact that most people hear new songs on the radio and then look for the same songs in the music stores or online. If the legislation passes, the radio stations will play a selected sample of the music that they have paid the royalties on and new artists and new works will not be played. Music that does not get played does not get sold.

That doesn't sound much like a level playing field, does it?

Opposing legislation, called the Local Radio Freedom Act (House Concurrent Resolution 49), has also been introduced. This bill urges Congress not to impose “any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station... .”

My opinion is that both of these pieces of legislation need to be scrapped immediately and any effort to re-introduce them should be slapped down. This is something that should be worked out between the recording and broadcasting industries, and the government has no dog in this fight except to see that the agreements are enforced.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

The broadcast industry has long been understood to fall under the provisions of speech and the press, and "shall make no law" is pretty clear. Of course I am no lawyer, and I am sure that there are plenty of slick talkers on either side that will talk rings around the First Amendment.

And that is the more important issue.

Rough Days

The wife has been sick for the past week.

Her stomach has never been a pleasant companion, even in the best of times. The chemo really kicks things up a notch, and she had chemo a week ago last Tuesday.

The stomach problems didn't start until Monday, which is usually about the time everything is over. So, off to the ER we go (did I mention it's snowing?) where the kindly doctor ordered some X-rays and determined she had a blocked bowel.

In other words, she's full of sh!t, but we knew that anyway. Now we have documented proof.

The good news is that she is now unblocked and feeling much better, all the household chores are done, and I have Sierra Nevada Golden Bock.
















Life is good.

When Will It Ever End

Today's forecast: Snow flurries resulting in a light dusting north of the Triangle (the points of the Triangle are Raleigh NC, Durham NC and Chapel Hill NC) and accumulation of as much as an inch to the south.

Since Franklinton, current location of the Refuge, is north of the Triangle this means we were in for a "light dusting" of snow. I can handle that.


Unfortunately what they forecast and what we get aren't always exactly the same. The snow is at 2 1/4 inches and still falling.

I blame Algore.

Patriotism

What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value.
Thomas Paine

I remember reading this quote coupled with one from, I think Benjamin Franklin, about liberty being a precious thing to esteem highly. Unfortunately I have not been able to find that quote.

At any rate, it is that which we fight for which we value most, and it is the thing that we have never had that we strive to achieve.

And once in a while we achieve it.

Alas, I am but a poor scribbler when trying to express lofty thoughts. Go here instead and you will know what I mean, even though I cannot adequately express it.

And Nikki; welcome home. I'm glad you made it.

That Was Then, This Is Now

You can't say they didn't warn us.

President Barack Obama said he is “agnostic” about raising taxes on households making less than $250,000 as part of a broad effort to rein in the budget deficit.

HT:AoSHQ, of course.

Climate Change

Click the pic for more. NSFW.

Who Wha?

Apparently there was some sort of sporting event last Sunday.

My condolences to Mostly Cajun.

Medical Update

Today was a rough day for her. The reactions from the medicine have made her physically ill all day. I stayed home from work in case she needs anything, something that I very rarely do.

The tumor is getting bigger again and the doc has prescribed new medicine. The new medicine is oral because they are afraid that her veins are going to collapse if they continue with the intravenous chemo.

She doesn't talk about it much because she doesn't want to worry me, but I know.

The Empire Strikes Back?

Beltway Bob is at it again.

Story at Ace's.

This of course means that Palin, a former state Governor that isn't currently running for anything, is deep, deep inside the White House's OODA loop.

Milestones

Welcome home Marines. Well done.

Sherlock Holmes

I finally saw it, and I give it a rousing "meh."

Top marks for action and photography, and the actors played their parts well. As for the plot, well, at least it appears that perhaps one or two of the screenwriters have actually read one or two of Sir Arthur's stories because one or two tidbits made their way in.

One such tidbit is the study of a pocketwatch. In the written stories ("The Sign of Four" to be exact) the watch belonged to Watson's older brother, an heirloom that was passed from his father and then on to the good doctor himself at his older brother's demise. In the movie the watch belonged to a "ginger midget" who was found dead in his first appearance.

Downey's Holmes is a bit of a bumbler and not as aware of his surroundings as the fabled detective from the stories, and Jude Law's Doctor Watson tends to be a bit surly throughout (which again is not a part of the canon, although the Watson in the stories had his bouts of petulance to be sure). Both are portrayed as active men; Downey's Holmes is shown to be a skilled boxer and knowledgeable of the martial arts and Law's Doctor Watson is an intelligent man who shows an ability to deductively reason things out for himself, all of which do fit the stories.

There are really only two parts of the movie that I found objectionable. One is that Holmes did not know the soon-to-be Mrs. Watson when in fact Miss Mary Morstan was introduced to Doctor Watson by way of being the client in one of his adventures with Sherlock Holmes, "The Sign of Four" once again being the story. Although a trifling difference it is a glaring one, and comes in early enough that it interrupted the flow of the rest of the movie for me.

The second, and most annoying, was the portrayal of Irene Adler as a master criminal. She is also hinted at being Sherlock's lost love, which as any reader of the stories knows is quite impossible. "The woman" was in fact an American opera star, and a bit of an adventuress herself, having been one of the few adversaries to outwit Holmes ("A Scandal in Bohemia"). I find it deplorable what the movie has done to her.

On a side note, the character of Irene Adler is expanded upon greatly in a series of books by author Carole Nelson Douglas. If you are a fan of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, it might be worth your time to check them out as well.

Of course I understand that some changes have to be made to tell the story well, because you can't fit four novels and 56 short stories into one movie. The changes to the two characters described above, relatively minor in the case of Mary Morstan but rather substantial in the case of Irene Adler, were the ones I found most distracting, and I wish the screenwriters could have found a better way to fit them in.

All in all the movie is an enjoyable waste of a couple of hours as long as you don't get too distracted by comparing it to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famed detective stories.

State Of The Union

Thatisall.

Picture shamelessly stolen from Mostly Cajun.

Loud And Clear

Kevin has a new post up (well, it's a couple of days old but I had not been by there for a while) that is an enjoyable read.

So what are you still doing here? Go enjoy!