What About This

Apparently the father of the man that tried to blow up a plane gave warning that his son was a dangerous jihadist. I'll wager that the father is himself now in danger from these savages. Has anyone thought of that?

Again

You mean to tell me a Mohammedan has been implicated in trying to kill innocents? Shocking!!

Celebrity Does Not Make One Special

I do a little bartending (and cab driving) in the Houston area and it being the large city that it is and I, being damn good at my job (Toot!, Toot!), have worked my fair share of events that cater to the celebrity crowd. I have had some good experiences and bad. Just because one finds themselves in the public eye, does not mean that they are any better (and often worse)than anyone else. I will name names here so read on brother.

A few years ago the NBA All Star game came to town along with all of the broohaha associated with it. I worked a number of the events including the rookie game, a private party or two and the gigantic NBA after party. I actually did not work the All Star Game as I was assigned to the party afterward. Here are some recollections of the event.

The after party was extremely busy with literally thousands of people at the event and everyone doing there level best to get drunk as hell. This truly reminded me of the Tom Cruise movie "Cocktail." It was that insane. At one point some guy broke in front of other people in line and informed my that "Steve Francis and his crew wanted a bottle of Cristal. His "crew?" I was not aware that Steve Francis was a river boat captain. To be honest, this occurred a few years ago and the guy might have used the term "posse." If so I would imagine that the only posse this thug belonged to was not going to mount up and chase bad guys anytime soon. Perhaps his posse was more adept at hunting bimbos in the club (with a bottle full of bub, look mami I got the X if you into takin drugs). You get the picture? Another thing I remember is the MC kept hollering "Jamie Fox is in the house" over and over. It was earsplitting. One thing I did notice was Magic Johnson standing in line in my partners station just like everyone else. An NBA Hall of Fame player who had the class and decency to wait his turn just like regular folk. He is from the old school no doubt. Contrast that with Steve Francis' representative demanding Cristal. Anyway it was my distinct pleasure to tell him that the Cristal was sold only at a booth completely across the venue.

At another NBA game I was assigned to the suite that Yao Ming's parents had for the night. They seemed like very reserved and nice people. But there were some things going on there that I found really disturbing. Now there was nobody being rude or demanding, quite the contrary, everyone was exceedingly polite. Here is where it begins to get a bit disturbing. There were some businessmen and hangers on obviously from Red China along with some oily, perpetually smiling, little guys who were obviously agents of the government (PRC). There is after all a Red Chinese consulate on Montrose Street in Houston. Here is where it gets really problematic (for me as an American) - There were quite a few other Americans (obviously business types looking to score something or other) who were scraping and bowing to our guests from the Peoples Republic. There was one guy who apparently had some kind of basketball shoe to sell and was lobbying to have them made in China. He was bowing to these government types so low that I was afraid he would end up with one's joint in his mouth. I doubt that would have bothered him much come to think of it. Well I did my job professionally, politely and competently but I did not bow to anyone. As an American I will bow to no man. Especially not in my own country. I am really very surprised that I was not given some kind of heads up from Toyota Center management that I was supposed to bow or something. I would have refused the job and gone home. Hmmmm. Why does our President find the need to kowtow and bow to Mohammedans and others when he is overseas? We don't bowto anyone! Period! It is our culture.

Well there is a sports writer here in Houston named John Mclain and though he really does not classify as a celebrity (I guess) he thinks himself one I am sure. In 2003 I believe it was, Houston hosted the Super Bowl now more remembered for the famous "wardrobe malfunction" than the actual game (Carolina vs New England). At any rate I bartended at a few of those parties and it was "Cocktail" all over again. The last Super Bowl event was the "after party" that catered mostly to journalists and their ilk. It was pretty damn busy but kind of lame none the less. I met a real cool guy from El Paso who was a firefighter by trade and a sideline photographer in his other gig. What a cool job. I wonder how he worked his way into that one. Anyway toward the end of the evening John Mclain staggered up at the bar next to me and wanted some drink or other that the bartender was out of. He got kind of belligerent and let loose with the "do you know who I am" thing. Of course the bartender had no clue, but I did. Anyone who listens to sports talk radio can't mistake that gravelly whiskey voice. I clued the bartender in on who just left his bar (after he finally left) and the guy said something to the effect of "I don't care who he is. That guy is a f....... a..hole. " I couldn't agree more. He chalked himself up in my book to what the sports world obviously already knows he is: An Ass!! Perhaps John is just trying to live up to the image of the hard drinking sports writer. That is all well and good I suppose, but he should try to handle his liquor a little better. You are not in high school John. Knowing what I know about John, I am sure that since the Super Bowl was in Houston and he is based out of here, he probably felt that he was the Prince of the Game. Did I mention that he is might be an egomaniac?
Here is where the story of Mclain gets even funnier. Now I did not have this happen to me and did not witness it but it was told to me by some cabbie a few years back and I chose to believe it. This guy, I don't know his name unfortunately, told me that he had Mclain in his cab and he pulled the same "do you know who I am stunt." Of course Mclain was allegedly hammered at the time. If this alleged incident would have happened to me, I would have pulled over and let him out of the car be it in front of a police station or crack house. Been my pleasure to do so.

I met a good many sports celebrities during that Super Bowl and was treated nice by each and every on of them. Had a conversation with Buddy Ryan and met the then Pats kicker Adam V. Seemed like good guys. Incidentally Adam cost me 2000 bucks in another Super Bowl a couple of years back when he missed a chip shot field goal with time running out in the first half. I was in a 100 buck a square office pool and a field goal would have netted me two grand. He missed it of course. I haven't forgiven him for that yet.

I have bartended for Jesse Jackson and found him interesting. He disappeared at one point in this big mansion type place called the Parador at the intersection of Almeda and Binz in Houston and there was wild speculation on where he went. Maybe found him a hottie was the going bet. At the same party I served Rep Sheila Jackson Lee and found her rude and arrogant. That is nothing unexpected however. She wasn't at my bar long enough for me to additionally classify her as stupid but she has since proven that to be the case. She also might be an egomaniac.

The list goes on and on with celebrities of politics, screen and sports that I have served in my career as a bartender. Most seem just like regular folk but when there are exceptions they sure stand out.

I almost forgot. In my cab I once chauffeured around a woman for hours that told me she was porn star Isis Nile. I thought her full of crap, but later looked it up on the internet and there she was in all her glory. She gave me a kiss on the forehead as I finally dropped her off after a night of partying and I bet I could have got me a little of that. Would have tried if I was a single man. Just to say I did it!

Inauspicious Start

Well the first five games of the College Bowl and Championship season have decided and I am off to an inauspicious start. 2 right to 3 wrong. Fresno State was beaten by Wyoming in the New Mexico Bowl. Mount Union lost a good game to UW Whitewater in D3, and in the IAA (FCS) Champioship Game Villanova took down a good Montana squad. Incidentally, did you see the Villanova QB in action? That kid can play this game. Someone in the NFL should take a look at him, if not for QB, then for athlete. The only ones I have right so far is the St Petersburg Bowl where Schiano's Rutgers squad was victorious over UCF and the NAIA Championship was decided in favor of Sioux Falls.There are a lot of games left to be played and perhaps I will be a bit more accurate. Tonight is I believe the New Orleans Bowl.
I am not a huge NFL fan, but I do like the Saints. You can't live in Louisiana (which I did for many years) and not be a fan. I am sorry to see that they lost to the hated Cowboys, but a loss now is better than one in the playoffs. Go Saints!!

Have a nice week and enjoy the games.

Addendum
Middle Tennessee took down USM in the New Orleans Bowl the other night. This puts me at 3 and 3 for the bowl and post season action. Looking pretty good. Here shortly the Las Vegas Bowl starts with BYU and Oregon State. I kind of would like to change my prediction on the game and go with BYU, but will stand with the Beavers.

Thinking again of the Saints - I guess it is better to lose a game now when it really does not matter than to lose one in the playoffs which ends the season. It is a shame it had to be to the ridiculous Cowboys. Romo is a prima donna much like Bears QB of old Jim M. Jim was a proven winner though you have to give him that.

I remember when I was in high school and living just across the lake from New Orleans going to quite a few Saints games. They usually lost, but that has been the story of the franchise. My friend Paul and Steve would go to see the game with our parents and it was always pretty cool. What was even more fun was skipping school and hanging around the French Quarter. I fondly remember telling some man that worked at the Hyatt Downtown that I was Frank Marino and the other guys with me were Mahagony Rush and we would be playing that night at the Warehouse. We promised him free tickets if he would show up. He actually seemed to buy it and hopefully he did not show up. We also used to go to the "adult" movie theatre on Canal Street to watch a little porn. I fell in love with Annette Haven and thought that Gerard Damiano was up there with George Lucas. No one bothered to check our id or anything. Same for having a few drinks in the Quarter. No id, no problem. We often topped off such excursions with a trip to Felix's Oyster House for a good Shrimp Po-Boy. I acquired a taste for good coffee at Cafe Du Monde and certainly learned to love fine Creole women. It was a simpler time then. I almost did not graduate from high school due to the proximity of the French Quarter but an education still I did acquire. Probably more valuable in many ways than some boring classes where they only talked about reality.
I remember years later, after I had gotten out of the service, driving from Central Louisiana down to New Orleans with my friend (brother) Mark, his dad, my future and ex father in law BoB (RIP) and some guy named Fred. We drove down in some giant car of Fred's and saw the game. My friend Mark had a bad toothache as I recall which he medicated with liquor. The highlight of the trip was either after or before the game we went to some bar in the Quarter where an old women rubbed on his chest. I remember feeling slightly jealous about the whole episode. I then had to drive back from New Orleans in a tropical storm that rolled in and that really was no fun. I do not remember who won the game or even who the Saints played. That is not usually the point of the Saints experience anyway. I do love New Orleans.

What Should Be Done With Those Non Conforming Smokers?

Smoking is a nasty, expensive, dangerous, and frankly quite offensive habit. Cigarette smoke everywhere, butts on the ground, the lingering smell, etc. etc. Uhhh! Guess what. It is also pretty enjoyable and I am poisoning the air as I type. Having a grand time too I might add. What of the effect of second hand smoke to those around me you may ask. Politically motivated crap "science" would be my response to that.
Houston, like a lot of cities, has banned smoking in all restaurants, most public places, etc. etc. That sort of pisses me off, even though I certainly understand the motive behind it. Many people understandably find the smell of smoke offensive and bothersome, but does that alone give any government (state, local, federal) the authority to arbitrarily tinker with the society and pass asinine laws and ordinances that affect a good many tax paying citizens? No! I personally do not like to look at people wearing Dallas Cowboys or Atlanta Braves gear walking around this fair city, but I do not scream for some kind of ban. Perhaps I should. I don't like to see young males walking around with pants hanging so low that you see their boxers or worse; their butt crack. I think an ordinance is in order. Now, young ladies wearing tight hip huggers and bending down to expose their butt crack is a different thing entirely. I am a fan of that!! You see, the point is that government should not be able to just make up silly laws as they go along just to please and appease a certain segment of society.
Not so long ago I was listening to Lance Zirlien, a local sports talk radio personality. He was making a case for the anti smoking ordinance that was about to be enacted in Houston. He said that he has a right to go into a restaurant, bar, etc. and not have to be subjected to the smell of smoke. Wrong Lance! You have a right to not go into any establishment within which smoking is permitted. In a sane society, the issue of smoking, yea or nay, would be determined by the management of the establishment. If they (establishment management) believe that allowing smoking is good for business, then they should have the right (yes the right) to allow smoking. Conversely they could also have a non smoking on premises policy. They could even do it the old way and have smoking and non smoking sections in their business abode. Now I like Lance, he is one of the best sports talk guys locally, but he is wrong on this subject. Incidentally a few years back Lance and John G. were broadcasting from the Shell Houston Open and unfortunately someone left a mike open and Lance broadcast "J.F.C." across the air. I am surprised that he was not canned for that. That is a huge no no in the broadcast biz. I laughed out loud in my car as I was driving to work that morning and thought of the time that I was working as a night DJ for KZMZ Radio in Louisiana. I had an intern with me who left a mike open and dropped an F bomb in conversation. The phones lit up. I was suspended for one week and lucky I did not lose my job. I wasn't too concerned as I also sold furniture at the time and the DJ work was mainly a hobby, but I was still glad that I did not get the axe. I digress. I forgive Lance for his opinion on the subject of smoking (even though he is wrong) mainly because I like him. Now if Charlie Pallilo, another local sports talk guy, had said something like that on the air, I would have had to give him a call. I believe that I would have had to tell Charlie that I find offense with his opinion on smoking and that I would respond by calling for a citywide ban on loud mouth, jock sniffing, pencil necked geeks who are usually wrong from being allowed in public places. I guess that Charlie would then have to stay in his house. Boy if "sports journalist" John Mclain had said something like that on smoking, I would call for a ban of loud mouth lushes who are always (yes always) wrong, being allowed out in society. Maybe that would shut him up. He and Pallilo would have to stay at home. Of course I jest, but again, just because you don't like something does not mean that you should be able to force government into enacting silly laws to suit you. That is populism and perhaps fascism running rampant.
I would really love to see a someone with the balls to just tell city government enough is enough and do as they like in their business. Hats off to management at the Busy Bee Cafe in Alvin (A southern suburb of Houston) for basically doing that a few years ago. They still allow smoking in what they designate a smoking area despite a ridiculous, restrictive, city ordinance. If smoking bothers you, then you don't have to eat there.
You see, the smoking issue is just a small thing. The major problem is intrusion by government entities into your daily life. Unfortunately this is just getting worse and we have only seen the tip of the iceburg. Watch and see.

We Call It A Christmas Tree

The decorated trees that people see all over the country this time of year are called Christmas Trees. Damn you if you call it anything else. Enough said!!!!

What Do You Call Such Folk?

I have (for the most part) refrained from writing about contemporary issues of any real importance during the college football season and am hesitant to pontificate on an issue right now that my "blood is up." I would much rather focus on the big game tonight pitting Oregon and Oregon State; the Civil War I believe they call it in the great NW. This one is for the Roses.I am almost just as interested in the outcome of the Arkansas State/Western Kentucky match up. Will the Hilltoppers (what a great name) pull one out of the hat to gain their first win of the season. Will the Indians, sorry I mean the Red Wolves, cap off their disappointing season with a victory. We will know tonight. I am not real interested in Tiger Woods apparently getting himself a little strange, but it is kind of funny. What does interest me is the fate of our troops in harms way in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Persian Gulf, etc. etc. I am also interested and appalled at some of the attitudes of American citizens toward those same service people. I will try to refrain from using insultingly foul language when I get to that point in my diatribe.

The President of the United States has apparently authorized a troop build up in Afghanistan, but I fear that it will not be enough. Think about it. 30,000 troops would not even begin to fill up by half a good many stadiums in major college football. That is not a lot of people. If the troops authorized are combat troops, and allowed to fight properly, then perhaps they will be able to get the job done. What job? Killing the Taliban and Al Qaeda. I did not say converting them or capturing them to be tried as "battlefield suspects." I said killing them. As many as possible by whatever means necessary. Does that bother you? Sorry. Battlefield suspects? Does that phrase bother you? I actually heard a television "journalist" calling these vermin that. Have you ever heard of such a thing? Taliban and Al Qaeda forces, along with Hamas, etc. etc. do not even qualify as legal prisoners of war in my book. What a crazy time we live in.

Michael Moore has predictably said that President Obama is straying from his base and that we should pull out of Muslim lands. That is predictable as I just now stated. President Obama has probably learned by now that his so called "base" is seen by the vast majority of the people in this nation as childish fools. Putting his eggs in their basket is a sure way to lose any minute hope he may have of being elected to a second term. Now that is all well and good, but what is bothersome about Moore and his ilk is this. Do they not remember people jumping to their deaths from the Twin Towers to escape being burned alive? What a choice they faced! Does Moore and his type not want revenge (yes I said it) on those responsible for their deaths and those that supported the guilty? Apparently not. I wonder what Moore's attitude would be if it was one of his loved ones that faced the choice between burning or leaping to their death. Mr. Moore you might be an idiot and you most certainly are a pussy. I knew I would have to use that word at some point. Nothing else would do.

Now we come to Chris Mathews. Did he not call West Point enemy country? He did and the evidence is readily available. Now the question remains - Did Mathews mean that the military was the enemy or just that they are perhaps the political enemy of Obama? If he only meant that the armed forces are the political enemy of the President, then he chose his words stupidly. That is not too hard to imagine as Mathews is a stupid man. If he meant that the military is the enemy of this country then he goes far beyond stupid. Either way Mr. Mathews is a fool and a pussy to boot. There's that word again.

Have you ever heard of a blog called Brilliant at Breakfast? It is a maddenly "progressive" (whatever that means) blog. Jill, the main contributor and the webmistress I believe is so liberal that it makes my eyes hurt. She is however infinitely more intelligent than either Mathews or Moore and makes a rational case for most of her arguments but she is usually so off base as to be unbelievable. (There is another contributor on her blog that calls himself "Jurassic Pork" and so far he has not posted anything concerning the troop build up. I put him in the same category as Moore, Mathews and Olbermann. He is truly a twit. Oh well, no matter.)Jill in her latest post is comparing Obama to Johnson and apparently comparing the Taliban to the Viet Cong. The inference here is of course that this is an unwinnable war and that Obama is making the same mistake that Johnson made when building up forces in the Vietnam era. There are a couple of things wrong with this scenario. The Viet Cong and NVA had never to my knowledge been responsible for attacking this nation on our home soil. Technically the Taliban has not either, but they sure supported those that did. I submit to Jill that there still is an awful lot of payback owed to those vermin. Jill has also mentioned in earlier writings that our military should not be used to kill "brown men." I assume she means Middle Eastern and Afghan Muslims. I submit to Jill that our military has not killed near enough of them yet. Jill apparently believes the war to be not winnable. I disagree. To my knowledge the Taliban have no commander as brilliant as the Vietnamese General Giap. Giap could be considered perhaps one of the premier military leaders of the second half of the twentieth century. He also had the advantage of jungle terrain to conduct operations. The two wars and the personalities involved can not really honestly be compared. Now it is true that the Soviets were not able to win in Afghanistan in the 80's. This may (or may not) be an anomaly. Soviet troops for the most part were unmotivated conscripts and American and Nato troops are motivated volunteers. Also I would submit that if there was committed political will in the Soviet Union during their "stay" in Afghanistan, then the outcome might have been different. It is also interesting that historically Russian and Soviet troops have been of no real account except when the fighting is on their soil and they have overwhelming manpower superiority. Now, no insurgency can ever be completely destroyed as long as there are those willing to fight, but it can certainly be brought down to very manageable levels with a pragmatic and quite honestly, a justifiably brutal use of military force. Now I must give Jill credit where credit is due. She may be right about the war being unwinnable considering the current political administration. Our troops must be given the tools and the green light to do what is necessary to win. If they are not, and I suspect they will not be, then I guess we should declare victory and bring everybody home. Then all those that died at the hands of the Mohammedans on 911 and the troops that have lost their lives fighting them since will have died in vain and we can all sit back and await the next 911.

The Mohammedan Major and Other Dudes

It appears that Major Nidal Hasan is now charged under the UCMJ and will have his day in court. I was pretty certain that somehow the DOJ would find a way to squirrel this up and move proceedings to a civilian court and I would not be surprised if that eventually becomes the scenario. I would not put anything past this administration. Now Major Hasan, being a member of the military and an American citizen, is entitled to the best defense that can possibly be mustered. That is his right as a citizen of this country. I also do hope that in the event he is found guilty that there is sufficient courage to send him to "meet the virgins." It will be interesting to see how this all eventually plays out. Contrast this case with the case of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and apparently four other defendants who will be tried in civilian court in NY. Why is this going to occur? These dudes should by now have been gone long enough to turn their virgins into streetwalkers. It can be argued that, unlike the good Major, these men have no rights as citizens of the United States and probably no rights under the Geneva Convention. They were not captured while under the direction of any legitimate leadership; ie a government or military entity, they were non uniformed, and were not fighting in a declared or even technically an undeclared war against any nation state. They should have been therefore considered from the start terrorists and insurrectionists and when captured quickly tried before a military court. Any information that they may have had at the time should have been extracted from them by any means expedient and necessary. At any rate hopefully the outcome will be the same for Khalid, his co defendants, and Major Hasan (if Hasan is indeed found guilty). The virgins are waiting on you fellows. You might want to consider bathing before you leave.

BCS is Bullshit

I just read an article by Dan Wetzel that piqued my interest and ire. According to Wetzel, Boise State has been trying to schedule a non conference opponent from a "major" conference for an open date on Sept 3, 2011. So far no takers. Why? BCS schools do not want to have Boise come to their house and embarrass them. Then when it comes time to dole out BCS bids, the outcry is "Boise State does not play a tough enough schedule." That is crap. While true their schedule is not that tough, there is so much parity in the college game that a good WAC, CUSA or Mountain West team could easily surprise a top SEC team. I would put Fresno State up against anybody at this point and of course Boise can beat any team in the country on a good day. The Pac 10 and Big 10 are perhaps only marginally better than the WAC in talent level so what is the problem? It is cowardice and collusion. According to Wetzel; Mr Harvey Perlman of Nebraska dissed the University of Utah program when confronted with the BCS question before Congress. Apparently he insinuated that Utah did not deserve to play for the BCS championship because they did not play a tough enough schedule. Mr. Perlman should look around. The Big Twelve and Nebraska in particular is not all that special either. Mr. Wetzel also points out that Nebraska has an open date, ironically just when Boise is looking for a "quality" opponent. Here is your chance to prove your point Mr. Perlman; or are you just a loudmouth? Don't be a pussy Harv. Schedule up.

Week 10 College Football Recap

Ok this week my record is 9 wins to 7 losses in predictions. Not good but better than last week where I had a losing record. The grand total stands at 102 to 60. There were some quite good games to watch this last week with a couple of minor surprises of note. I have noted that there is a lot of parity in the college game and that is holding true throughout the season.

The Sun Belt is still Troy's to lose. UlM and Middle Tn. the only two that may yet challenge Troy, were both victorious in conference action. The Trojans kept rolling with a victory over W. Kentucky. Next up on their slate is the University of Arkansas. That probably will be a loss, but will not figure into conference standings.

The Big Ten is now really intriguing. Iowa's loss to Northwestern and the Buckeye victory over Penn State throw this one up for grabs. Who will be the eventual conference champion? Iowa can not be considered for the BCS Championship Game, but still has a good shot at the conference championship. I did think Iowa would trip up before it was all said and done, but did not think the Wildcats would be the team to do it. It is easy to forget that Wisconsin is still technically in the mix also.

Over in the MAC it is still between CMU and Temple. Temple had some difficulty last week but did come out of it in the win column.

The SEC now is down to Florida and Alabama. They both clinched and will meet in the conference championship game. The season is not yet finished and one or both still may be tripped up, but they still will meet for conference honors regardless. The Hogs pulled off a minor upset against SC. LSU may still yet land in a BCS Bowl. At worst, they will play in an upper level non BCS contest. Most of the rest of the league played IAA opponents this week and there were no upsets. Furman did keep pace with the Bulldogs of Ga. somewhat. Memphis of CUSA did not fare well against TN. but that was to be expected.

Over in CUSA Houston pulled one out of the hat with a last second field goal that put them on top of Tulsa. I thought this would be a tough game and was right. U of H looked a little flat and Tulsa came to play ball. What is interesting is that some announcers have all but accused Todd Graham of having players fake injuries as time was running down. This is in effect a time out that Todd (allegedly) would use to give his offense time to score if U or H tied the game. If true, it bit him in the ass as the Coogs missed the two point conversion to tie. This apparently effectively ended the contest, but an onside kick recovery by Houston and subsequent long field goal put the Cougars in the win column. I put Todd Graham in the same column as "He who shall remain nameless" over at Alabama and that jerk over at Ole Miss. Graham screwed Rice University. That reminds me of something funny of note. When Graham bolted for supposed greener pastures after 1 year with Rice it was considered a slap in the face. When Tulsa and the Owls met at Rice Stadium the following year the MOB (Marching Owl Band) lampooned him viciously. Are you familiar with the MOB? They pull no punches. Often halftime at Rice Stadium is more interesting than the game. At any rate Graham demanded an apology. I do not remember if one was forthcoming, but I am not familiar with a case of the Marching Owl Band ever issuing one. Screw Graham.
Enough pontificating? I think so. Rice came pretty close to winning the game with SMU. This is the first time this season they have not been utterly blown out. Is that progress? The Coogs should be the winner of CUSA West but it is unclear who they will meet in the championship game. I think it will be ECU but it is still not settled. ECU did lose a contest with VA. Tech Thursday night but that was non conference and should not affect the conference standings.

Cincy took down UConn over in the major Big East contest and most likely will land a BCS Bowl. They are a good team. I would love to see Cincinnati and Ohio State square off. WV still has a shot perhaps and were victorious in their contest. Same with the Pitt Panthers. This is a pretty interesting conference that does not seem to really get proper respect nationally. Frankly I would give Cincy and even chance against any other undefeated team in the land.

The Pac 10 just got more interesting with Oregon faltering against Stanford. Will Arizona be the top dog in this conference before it is all said and done? Why was Cal in the top 25? Tedford does a good job with the Golden Bears, but this has not been a good year for him. The rest of the conference (maybe even USC) is forgettable.

The WAC is still Boise's to lose. They did have some trouble against a pesky La. Tech team Friday night in Ruston. They came out victorious as usual however. Fresno State took down a vastly improved Idaho team last night in a pretty good game. It had all the earmarks of a complete blow out but Idaho kept is fairly close. Pat Hill's squad is under rated. They are a legitimate top 25 team. Tonight Nevada, which is still undefeated in conference play, meets SJSU and should have little problem with the Spartans. Nevada still has a shot but probably will not be able to get past Boise. The game next week against Fresno State will be a good game though. If Nevada wins, which would be a minor upset, they still have a shot. Their game with Boise State is their last of the season. This is an interesting conference and the top dogs should get a little more respect nationally.

The ACC is the ACC. Georgia Tech looks like they will represent the Coastal Division in the championship game. Miami took down Virginia and Clemson took out Florida State. The only other game of note was the NC victory over Duke. Not sure if any of the teams in this conference can be counted among the game's elite. Perhaps Ga. Tech. Look for Miami to be a power to contend with in the coming years.

Almost forgot about the Mountain West. TCU meets Utah next week and that should be the deciding factor in whether TCU (or for that matter Utah) is BCS qualified. This may well be the game of the week.

The Big Twelve should have Texas as the representative from the south. It is hard to see who in conference can beat the Horns at this point. The Big Twelve North is another matter. KSU is in the drivers seat and may well be the eventual winner here.

I will try to get week 11 predictions out at some point. Have a good and safe week.

OK Now What?

Well of course by now everyone is aware of the shooting at Ft Hood where numerous American soldiers and at least one civilian lost their lives. The alleged perpetrator is a Muslim (imagine that) and a practitioner of witch science (psychiatry). That is a double whammy! Now we have finally reached a conundrum in this nation with no real easy answer. Well, that is not the case really, the answer is quite easy, but it does go against some basic American "rules of the game."
What am I talking about? I am talking about the role of Mohammedans in this nation's security services. As most of us know, this is not the first time that a Muslim serving in the armed forces has killed their comrades in a cowardly treasonous fashion. A similar incident occurred a few years ago when a Muslim Sgt apparently rolled a live grenade into a tent, killing and injuring the inhabitants. Is it now time to ask ourselves if Muslims belong in the armed forces of this nation? That is a very tough and touchy question. Even just asking such will bring forth cries of "Islamophobia." Islamophobia? Damn right! What thinking person, at least in the back of their mind, harbors some distrust for the followers of the Prophet. This is nothing to be ashamed of. While it is undeniable that there are Muslims who are Americans first, but due to the age old low intensity war with Islam (let us call it what it is), there is distrust. Is it wrong to put the welfare of the nation above personal religious convictions? Probably not. Most of us would be in favor of some decidedly Un-Christian like tactics from those whose job is to protect us if it would prevent another 911. Should we expect and demand Muslim Americans put this country above religious beliefs? Yes we should.

Now let us come back to the question of what to do concerning Muslims in the security services. Perhaps the time has now come to ban them from military service. That is hard and perhaps unconstitutional but it must at least be looked at. Can you imagine what damage an active duty Sailor, Marine or Coast Guardsman could do to a ship at sea? There is no place to run. I am sorry, but if I were the commander of a naval vessel I would be very leery of Muslims aboard my ship. Again that is hard, but nothing to apologize for. It is common sense.

Should this country go further? I am not talking about WWII internment camps that our government subjected Japanese Americans to. I am talking about taking a hard look at sensitive services and Muslims therein. Would it not be prudent to also look at Muslims in our nation's civilian police and fire services? Yes it would be prudent; every bit and perhaps even more so than the armed forces. Every police officer has ready access to firearms; something that not every military member has. It would be damn prudent to take a close look at Muslims in the civil emergency services.
What about private security? A very good many private security companies are under contract to protect some extremely sensitive installations such as chemical plants, water works, etc. etc. It would again be prudent to take a close look at Muslims thus employed in the private security industry. Sorry, but again this is nothing more than common sense.

It is a shame that it has come to this. It makes me feel sad to think this way but it is nothing to apologize for. Therefore I will not.

Honor the Troops

Today our illustrious president "honored" those troops slain in Afghanistan by making a photo op appearance at Dover AFB. Meanwhile, he dithers and does not send the appropriate force to crush those that oppose the effort of Western Civilization to avenge countless deaths at the hands of the Mohammedans. Have you ever seen the flippant "salute" that he gives to the Marine standing at the steps of Marine One? That in itself gives us a glimpse into the mindset of this man and probably many others that "serve" this country in his administration. They distrust if not hate the military is my guess. Military service is perhaps beyond their understanding. Contrast that with President Bush stopping, looking the young man in the eye, and rendering a proper military salute. President Obama's demeanor in this regard is probably just part of learned groupthink absorbed during his college years. Nothing wrong with that in itself as many universities in this nation have a leftist agenda which is agressively taught. Most people grow out of that mindset however when they get out and begin to see the world the way it is. Those that do not become what is now known as progressive which is an idealistic, Utopian, and ultimately childish view of the world. It is an indictment of the collective intelligence of the American electorate that Mr. Obama was elected. Perhaps we that love our country are the ones that are "out of touch." That is sad.

Post Office Again

Well I have been waiting for a check from a job for over a week that I know was mailed. The issue here is not that the company I do some work for never mailed it. I have been working for them for quite some time with no problem. The issue is the USPS again. Very early in my blogging career I noted that I did not have any real issue with the Postal Service. That was before I sold some books through Amazon.Com and one of them never arrived to the customer. That irritated me to no end as I had to issue a refund. Now I am still waiting for a check that was mailed from a location about 50 miles away. It has been well over a week but I will wait a few more days before asking the company to reissue the check. Lately a letter mailed to me from Arkansas took over two weeks to arrive. Is this an anomaly or is this standard for the USPS?

BCS Controversy

The BCS is of course B.S. and everyone knows it. Mack Brown and others are no fans of the system, though he and others (Florida, Bama, LSU, KSU especially, etc. ) take advantage of it by scheduling weaker non conference opponents that on paper at least, have little chance of winning. That is why it is so wonderful when one of these IAA or weaker teams from say the Sun Belt Conference or MAC bites them on the ass. The ULM victory of BAMA was great a couple of years back and of course Appalachian State embarrassed Michigan not too long ago. This year alone Iowa was scared by IAA Northern Iowa and came within a hair of losing to Sun Belt Arkansas State. KSU was beaten by the Ragun Cajuns and that was fun also. The point being, the BCS pushes these major power football schools into working the schedule this way. The "lessor" team gets a good payday and the "power" team usually comes away with a victory. This runs up the wins for a team with national championship aspirations, but a good many of these games are in reality just meaningless scrimmages. Before the BCS there were a few games like this here and there. Often they were scheduled between coaches that had a friendly history, but it has gotten ridiculously out of hand. I saw and editorial the other day concerning this phenomena. Apparently USC does not schedule down nor does Stoops over at Oklahoma. That is to their credit, but it can most definitely hurt their chances at a shot at a national title. Take Oklahoma's loss to BYU this year. That is factored into the BCS computer when it comes to doling out BCS Bowl Games. USC of course had their loss this year also. A win over a IAA team should not count when factoring points and a loss should count three times more than a loss to a D1 team. That would cut down on some of this particular abuse in the college game.

Senator Hatch of Utah apparently sent a letter to President Obama asking him to look into the BCS system personally. Hatch is under the opinion that the BCS system violates the anti trust laws that this country has in place. He may be quite right.vIt goes without saying that the BCS system is flawed and (hopefully) will eventually go away; but do we really need the government to get involved in this right now? They should have other things on their plate at this time. That reminds me of when John McCain was hounding baseball about steroid use, when our troops were fighting and dying in the war against the Mohammedans. This is still the case of course. Our president and government are bickering about side issues while our economy sinks (don't let them fool you; this nation may be in for a major economic meltdown) and our troops are fighting, without proper support mind you, in Afghanistan and still in harms way in Iraq and the Persian Gulf.

Are those damn fools in Washington out of touch with reality? The BCS System, steroids in baseball, thugs in the NBA, Soviets in the NHL (just kidding), the popularity of un American Soccer (not kidding) and so forth will eventually work itself out. Get on with the nation's business.

More dumb verses

I was supposed to work today but the job was cancelled. I am unfortunately in the position of having too much time on my hands and that is not a real good thing. Here are some silly verses that I have thought of that you might (or might not) enjoy. Warning: Some themes might be a bit inappropriate. Reading discretion is advised.

There once was a man named Olbermann
Who came right at folks like a doberman
His mind's a bit numb
He's quite frankly dumb
Yet he thinks he's the Nietzsche Overman

There once was a man named Frank
Who liked to put it where dank
He was kind of silly
But still no hillbilly
Look out! He's eyeing your crank

There once was a woman named Couric
If a man one would call her a big dick
She had liberal bias
But still quite a nice ass
She was in need of a wing wong colonic

There once was a man named Obama
Who surrounded himself with much drama
Rush believed him a commie
Sharpton thought him a Tommy
He once dissed the brave Dalai Lama

There once was a man called Chris Mathews
Who had sensations running up from his shoes
He gets hard as a rock
When hearing Barack
All should duck before his instrument spews


Sorry.

Death Penalty Study

The Death Penalty Information Center apparently released a report showing that it is quite expensive to actually put criminals to death; much more so than keeping them in the slam for the remainder of their lives. The costs presented by the organization's report are staggering and any sane person would question the reports' accuracy. However there can be no doubt that it is quite expensive to continue to rehear each case on appeal. Of course, most death penalty verdicts are automatically appealed, often ad nauseum. This is perhaps necessary to make darn sure that no innocent person is ever put to death. The whole business is a double edged sword. Do we as a society suffer those among us to live that have been convicted of heinous crimes, or do we automatically sentence such criminals to life without parole? There is undeniably the cost of housing, feeding and otherwise caring for them. Of course the numbers bandied about by the DPIC purport that it is far more costly to follow the process of actually putting someone to death. They are possibly correct to some extent but in the case of extremely violent criminals I say "smoke em if you got em."

My Friend Jeremiah Schlong Is Better Than Olbermann

I just read something very funny concerning the brilliant Keith Olbermann of sports and communist broadcasting fame. He was apparently discussing healthcare on his comedy show over there at MSNBC and sounded foolish. Imagine that. At any rate Bill Heffner, in his excellent blog "On My Mind." wrote that Olbermann "stepped on his instrument." I read it, reread it, and busted out laughing. Instrument? That is a riot. I left the comment that he always is stepping on his instrument. It is not certain though that he is in possession of an "instrument." It seems to me that his plumbing is more likely interior than exterior. Oh well the one thing that is certain concerning Keith, regardless of the type plumbing he has, is that he is indeed an "instrument."The whole thing reminded me of a time gone past when I was in the service. There was a song by someone and one of the lines was "the blood flows through my instrument." I don't recall who the performer was and I don't feel inclined to look it up, but that line was seized on by a shipmate of mine and he sang it all the time. It actually became annoying. I have not thought about this guy for quite a while. He was my leading petty officer at the time and we often had problems getting along, but all in all he was my friend and comrade. For some reason we all had what we called "porn names" during this period and he enjoyed referring to himself "Jeremiah Schlong" which was pretty hilarious. He obviously was first in line when the schlongs were being handed out and someone came up with the theory that the bigger the instrument, the less one can handle liquor. As a result of this observation whenever he sang "the blood flows through my instrument" it was pointed out that there was so much blood in that region that there was not enough left in his brain and that was why he was a lightweight. It was true, two beers and this guy was insane. Three or more beers and he was incoherent. This disturbed him somewhat I believe. With that crowd, manhood was judged on the ability to drink well. There may be something to the instrument/liquor theory incidentally. At another duty station I noticed one Joe "The Horse" could not drink more than one or two without being blasted. Back to Jeremiah; he and I once rode our motorcycles from our duty station in Florida to his home in Toledo. We stopped in Nashville along the way and had a couple of drinks. He then proceeded to urinate in front of the Grand Ole Opry while, at the same time, advised some woman that "he did not give a shit if she was married, she needed to come back to the hotel with him." I just stood back a good distance away and waited for him to be arrested. His luck was in that night as no cops showed up. We proceeded to Toledo without any further insanity. Once there we checked out a couple of Mud Hen games with some of his family members who, quite shockingly, were normal people. We also had some drinks with some of his buddies from high school who I thought were pretty much thugs. After a few days we rode back to Florida. I enjoyed my experience in service at times and still remember fondly some of the people with whom I served. One influence "Mr. Schlong" had on my life is that I developed an intense dislike for Ohio State football. That was all he talked about during the season and it grated on my nerves. I still can not stand the Buckeyes and probably never will. "Jeremiah," like Olbermann, was and probably still is an "instrument," but unlike Olbermann, he was no pussy.

Support The Troops And Do It Today

WTF? The last few weeks have seen an upsurge in the number of American and Allied troops that have gotten killed and injured in Afghanistan in the war with the Mohammedans. Military leadership has requested an immediate need for more troops on the ground in order to contain a resurgent Taliban. Meanwhile our president jets off to Europe to lobby for Chicago (of all places) to host Olympic games. Something is wrong here. Now they are holding discussions on the Afghanistan matter. Discussions? Troops should be on there way now. Our soldiers are fighting and dying and we are just discussing the matter? Is there something wrong with this? Mr. President I do not think I am alone in saying that if you don't get off the pot and defend this nation then you don't have a hair on your ass! Liberal or Conservative, Democrat or Republican, as the President of this nation the most important job, perhaps the only one that really matters, is to defend us with all the assets at our disposal. Do it now! Our sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, husbands and wives are depending on it.

A Once in a Lifetime Experience

Saturday we went to see the Terra Cotta Warriors at the Houston Museum of Natural History. I did not schedule myself a bartending gig or lease a taxi because I wanted to stay home and watch college ball all day. Well instead I was informed that the family would be going to see the exhibit. Well so it goes, and without any bitching or further ado got in car and away we went. I knew that this was something that we should see anyway. Sunday would have been a better day as I am not all that interested in NFL ball, but the boss had spoken.
The museum was pretty crowded, as it usually is on weekends, and probably even more so since this I believe is the last weekend for the exhibit. It was a little irritating to wait, I have very little patience for crowds anymore, but it was well worth it. What our family saw was something that we will never forget I am sure. When I was a child, I went with my parents to see some King Tut artifacts in Memphis. I can remember the long lines and wait, but had sense enough to not act a fool. My third grader and her friend that went with us also seemed enthralled and did not clamor to leave, go to McDonalds, or any of those things that are typical at that age. I was happy about that. They did harrass us about buying some junk at the gift ship though, which of course we did. We probably were in the presence of these awe inspiring artifacts for about 1 hour and it was something that I will never forget. I am sure my child will remember this just as I remember seeing King Tut artifacts so may years ago. That is worth missing an afternoon of college ball. Recorded LSU/Georgia and watched the night games anyway.

Little Dumb Verses

Everyone at one time or another has heard of the "There once was a man from Nantucket" thing. Perhaps some of you even recall the old "There once was a man from Kent" ditty. I have thought up a couple myself, but they are pretty tame in comparison to the above.

There once was a man named Rush
From his mouth the words they did gush
He made waters murky
Some thought him a turkey
But he's done pretty well for a lush

There once was a woman named Rachel
She had a talk show on cable
The network did botch
For very few watched
But to fire her they will be unable

There once was a loudmouth named Grace
Who always wore a scowl on her face
She sure liked to screech
She might be beech
I wish someone would spray her with mace

There once was a man named Hannity
He sure suffered greatly from vanity
His show was too long
He was usually wrong
Methinks he's losing his sanity

There once was a man called Olbermann
He is just an idiot

I had a little too much time on my hands this afternoon..

The Peril of Scheduling Down

It has become habit for many major college football programs to schedule FCS (Don't must of us still call it IAA?) schools. While the pros are obvious; the likelihood of winning the game; the cons far outweigh any advantage.

This year the most glaring examples of scheduling down were Florida versus Charleston Southern and Oklahoma hosting Idaho State. Both of these games were predictable blowouts of course. Here is where the problem lies for Division I, particularly BCS conference programs. If a BCS or any good Division I team allows a IAA school to stay close in the game, then the Division I program is suspect. Take for example this years Florida State/Jacksonville State match up. Florida State barely escaped with a victory here. It does not matter that Jacksonville State has an extremely talented QB; what the pollsters and fans see is a narrow victory over an opponent that should have been beaten easily.

If a Division I team should have a horrible outing and actually lose to a IAA squad, then the results for the upper division program are disastrous. A good example is the loss a couple of years back that Michigan took at home to a very good Appalachian State team. It matters little that Appalachian State that year may have been able to be ranked in the top 20 of Division I, and were the eventual IAA champions, what matters is that a major program BCS school was defeated by a lower division team. Michigan is just now starting to work their way up from that disaster. This has happened fairly often but that game is probably the best example.

When a Division I school plays and easily defeats a IAA team, the win is still suspect in the minds of many fans. Does it matter that Florida could probably have put up triple digits on Charleston Southern? Not really. It is just seen as a useless "padding the win column" game. Not much more than a scrimmage, if even that.

Another disadvantage is seen recently in the case of the Mississippi Rebels. The win over SE Louisiana Lions was just a scrimmage. It showed the Ole Miss coaches nothing about the program. If they had played a little bit stronger opponent, adjustments may have been made and the Ole Miss/South Carolina game may have had another outcome. It just does not help much if a major program's non conference opponents are maybe talented enough be competitive with the practice squad.

A small possible advantage to playing a IAA opponent usually comes in the middle of the season. For example, Miami hosts Florida A&M in a couple of weeks and will probably need this win to restore some confidence in themselves. The blowout to Virginia Tech last week and the probable loss in the upcoming game against Oklahoma might have the Hurricanes reeling. The problem here is that FAMU has a pretty darn good IAA program. The Rattlers should not be able to hang long with the Hurricanes though. Miami will certainly need to make sure they don't.

The flip side is that IAA schools have all the advantage in playing Division I, especially BCS opponents. Other than the obvious likely loss, the financial awards are much needed and if they should play a good game or stun the major school, it is a boon to their program.

It makes far more sense to play teams that have at least a fair chance of winning. The Sun Belt Conference makes its living playing BCS opponents in their respective non conference schedules. They win sometimes too. It matters not that the Sun Belt has much more in common with a good IAA conference that a D1 BCS conference. It is all in the perception. Who can forget the ULM victory over Alabama a while back? This year alone Middle TN State beat Maryland and Louisiana Lafayette handled the Kansas State Wildcats. Other schools from some other non BCS conferences, and even a few consistently less talented teams from the BCS ranks also tend to schedule up. A loss by a major program to one of these teams is bad, but not near as devastating than losing to a school from the lower division.

A Couple of Noteworthy Blogs

I have been following a blog called Brilliant at Breakfast for some time now and find it to be pretty darn good. It is an infuriatingly left wing blog and the authors are quite out of touch with reality, but that is what makes it interesting. It is professionally done and well written and is so far to the left that it makes for good entertaining reading. I must admit that I do occasionally find some common ground with Jill, the main blogger, on some issues but not too many. Another poster, someone that calls them self "Jurassic Pork" or some such nonsense is quite "bat shit crazy." This is one of the favorite expressions apparently on this blog. I actually wrote something fairly nasty on the comments concerning something that "Jurassic Pork" wrote. I since deleted it. No sense being rude, but it galls me when our troops are compared to the SS, Stazi, etc. That was not amusing. I defend, and have defended, someones right to blather nonsense, but Good Lord man. Oh well, no matter. The blog is recommended reading if for no other reason than the entertainment value it provides. BrilliantatBreakfast.blogspot.com. Check it out and prepared to be wonderfully annoyed.

Another excellent blog I just found yesterday is "On My Mind" done by a man named Bill Hefner. This is another professionally done blog that is very well written. Mr. Hefner is much more liberal than I am and I have been accused of having some liberal tendencies. (I also have been accused of being an anarchist and imperialist and war monger but that is beside the point). I believe Mr. Hefner's blog to be an excellent read. Check him out at billsandiego.blogspot.com. It is quite interesting.

It is interesting that the best blogs are found just trolling around the blogosphere. I would have never found Cielo Gold, Survival Stew, We Can Eat, On My Mind or for that matter, the somewhat insane Brilliant at Breakfast without hitting the "next blog" tab.

It sure is interesting to see what other people have to say.

What a Pack of Fruit Loops

All three of four of you who may actually read my blog know that I bartend a little, drive a cab some, and work with a local caterer on occasion. I also recently started substitute teaching, which is somewhat interesting. Put it all together and it is a very modest living. Well, not even that really. Thankfully my wife has a pretty good job which keeps this family at least functioning economically, as long as we don't go overboard.

Last night I took a job from a hospitality staffing service to bartend at a "high end" hotel in downtown Houston. It was supposed to be a bartending gig, but when I got there I was assigned to basically just hang around and keep my area picked up. Ok, no problem. This place does tip share and I really did not feel like bartending for a fairly large crowd when I can make the same just standing around. Kind of lazy I know. I probably should have worked the bar as the people they assigned were slow as Christmas. Believe it or not I heard on guy ask another about the proper way to make a vodka tonic. This was done via radio; one of the supervisors was in my vicinity with his radio. Oh well, no skin off my nose. I watched another guy at a satellite bar have difficulty with the cork on a wine bottle. This was a supposedly a"high end" event and it was not "Sutter Home" that he was trying to open. I thought about going over and giving him a little instruction, but I have met the guy and found him a tad arrogant in our earlier conversation. I let him figure it out himself. That being said, I will now get to the main point of this little blog entry.

I have worked at this particular hotel a time or two and the management is some kind of tight assed. The regular employees are perennially frightened for some reason. These guys in suits nitpick about the smallest thing, and are constantly on patrol. There seems to be a whole lot of well dressed chiefs here and not quite enough Indians as they say. I did my best to look busy, and was for the most part pretty busy keeping my area in order, but once or twice I did feel a critical evil eye cast my way and one comment was made to me before the event began that my mustache was a little "bushy." I actually had to go and trim it slightly. Ok, no problem, although if there were any further critical comments I do believe that the guy would have been told to go find a wee wee to smooch. That would have been no problem for him I am sure, but I will get to that in a moment. Another guy had a goatee and was informed that he needed to shave it off which he declined to do. Apparently they let it slide as he worked the entire night. All in all it just turned out be all right. Worked until pretty late in the night, cleaned up, and went home. Other than the anal management though, what was really interesting was the actual event itself. Let me tell you about it.

Although this particular hotel is very upscale, probably number one or two in the Houston area, it does not often host fairly large events. It is not a Hilton, Hyatt or a Crowne Plaza type place that caters to convention type business. It is more of a "boutique" type of place. That may have been one reason why the managers were so anal. They are very uptight on a normal day I have noticed, but last night they were over the top. Anyway, the event itself was some sort of fashion event with predominately Italian clothing and accessories being featured. There were quite a few people from the "Old Country" in attendance and Italian could be heard spoken by many. The food was authentic, and I did get to eat a little after the event. Somewhat different than what you would get at the Olive Garden. Perhaps that is why I have the runs this morning.

What was really wild was the people that attended this event. I have never been around such an interesting or decadent crowd, except perhaps at a "swinger" event.
A good majority of the men were gay, that goes without saying perhaps. After all it was a fashion thing. These guys were what are commonly called "flamers." With a capital F! That is all ok but there was a good deal of hand holding, kissing, and public groping. I mean real ding dong grabbing. Get a room! There were some regular hotel guests in and around the pool while this was taking place. There were a couple of security guys hanging around and they watched but I did not notice them trying to control the situation. I would imagine that they would have been fired if they interfered. The money spent on this event was quite evident. As far as I know, no one unleashed their weapon. Wonder if security would have done anything then?I do not believe I mentioned that the event was held on the "courtyard" which has a pool, enclosed work out space, pool bar and grill, etc. etc. as part of the area. While no one looked offended that I could see, I did see a lot of bemused expressions. I myself was not shocked but did find it somewhat amusing.

There were a lot of guys there that were not openly gay and some of these cats were dressed like something out of the 1978. We are talking about shirts open to the navel and flashy gold chains. The whole nine yards. No one that I saw had "feathered" hair though. Some of these guys had very pretty Oriental women on their arms that were at least half their age. I could not be sure but I would bet the girls were earning a little extra cash themselves that evening. Most likely they were recruited from the numerous "rub and tug" places that are everywhere in Houston. Incidentally, the existence of those type of joints can put substantial money in a cab driver's pocket when there are conventions in town. A lot of "out of town sports" are interested in some extracurricular fun and any cabbie worth his salt knows where this fun is to be had. The bump back that is given to cabbies from these fine business establishments can be fairly substantial; but I digress.

The women at this event, discounting the pretty young Asians, were for the most part, dressed like something out of some off the wall fashion magazine that no one really reads. At least no one I know. They ranged in age from the mid 20's perhaps up to a least 70. The older they were the more outlandish and cartoonish they looked. It was nuts. I did have one of the younger women ask me if I knew the name of the designer of some handbag that was being modeled. Of course I had no earthly idea, but I amused myself by telling her that I believed the designer to be B. Dick Black. I then scooted off into the crowd. She probably didn't buy it but I had my little fun. Here is where it gets really wild. One guy I was working with came up to me and asked if had a seen any p...y. You know what I am talking about? I asked him if he meant literally and he laughed and said "of course." Well I had seen at least 5 full beaver shots plus quite a few "hints of beaver." That sounds like a cologne. Maybe I should market that. Some of the "ladies" at this event evidently do not believe in wearing underwear. Even the teensy thong kind. Apparently they were also not taught by their mother's how to sit in a ladylike fashion. They probably just don't care. Maybe it does not even cross their minds. It was a rather interesting job.

It is sort of funny. One goes about their life wearing "normal" clothes just going with the flow and living life. Then one comes across others so different in attitudes, dress, etc. etc. that it can be rather startling at times. It makes things interesting. We are a strange species.

Remember

Most human beings regardless of religious affiliation, race, country, income level, etc. etc. just want to be left alone to live their lives in peace. To be more clear - Your average Mohammedan does not have a burning desire to destroy. Does a poor family in Afghanistan, Iraq, or wherever really want to be subjected to constant religious warfare, or warfare over power and control, etc. etc? Surely they don't. People, when it comes down to it, are people after all. We are not that much different when one gets to the core of humanity. That does not however mean that the individual will not get caught up in the groupthink of whatever society it is their lot in life to belong.

The Anniversary has just recently passed and it is still fresh in the minds of freedom loving peoples everywhere. It is difficult to express oneself on the anniversary of that horrific Day without perhaps writing down thoughts that come to mind that are frankly inhumane. The Day brings forth powerful emotions that can overwhelm one and be the cause of thoughts of vengeance. Thoughts of utter destruction of societies peopled by persons who are wholly innocent. That is wrong. It is best to put some distance between the anniversary of the Day and actually putting "pen to paper" to attempt to poorly express thoughts on the matter. No writings or thoughts can properly express the horrible tragedy that transpired and the grief and sorrow of so many of our countrymen. Perhaps anything written or said at all is inappropriate for those of us not personally affected. But we all were affected to a large degree. This anniversary of the Day is for those that lost their lives and their close ones. It is also for the U.S. and allied troops and others that have lost their lives as an indirect result of this Day. We should never forget any of them.

It is a horrible shame that our great country has again become divided. There are those among us whose thoughts are to place the blame of that Day on, well, us. Many have politicized the Day and are quite vocal with their message. The rest of us must endure those of us who are so unbalanced as to actually blame their country or leadership for this Day. A very vocal minority of Hollywood types, and some other people's insane comments just must be endured. That is the character of this great nation. Service people have died in the defense of their right to say things that are so obtuse.

The images of the attacks that are shown every year on the anniversary should be required of every American. Not to stir up patriotism or a desire for vengeance, but to remind us all of the evil we are fighting. The Outlaws Motorcycle Club has a saying "God Forgives, Outlaws Don't."
As Americans, we should also never forgive those responsible for that horrific Day. It might not be "Christian" to be unforgiving, but perhaps it is necessary.

A Little Civility Please

Georgia Tech is up 24-0 over the Clemson Tigers and the second quarter is still fairly young. The other game on TV, Florida A&M vs Winston Salem State is not all that interesting either. I loved watching the FAMU Rattlers when Billy Joe was the coach. Rattlers; what a great name for a mascot and who could honestly ask for a better football name than Billy Joe. MEAC football, much like the SWAC, can be pretty fun to watch. The teams are not usually all that good, but the halftime shows are always entertaining. One of the best games to watch is the Bayou Classic between Grambling and Southern. No where else but the city of New Orleans can this game really be played, although I believe Houston was the host city in the fairly recent past. Yes, college ball is back!

Since the games are so uninteresting a comment on last night's performance by President Obama is in order. Did anyone notice that Speaker Pelosi was looking especially psychotic for the event and the First Lady looked downright evil? That was pretty interesting. Oh well. The speech itself was quite good. The man does know how to speak, regardless of what some radio pundits say. The message sounds pretty reasonable. There was nothing said that sounded all that far fetched or "socialist." It is pretty obvious that there will be some sort of reform of the healthcare system regardless of who the opposition is. The insurance industry, whose mouthpieces are talking so reasonable now, have made this bed and now will be the time for them to lie in it. It is difficult to feel too sorry for an industry that has (lets be honest) actually contributed to the demise of so many of our fellow citizens. It is very difficult to trust this administration but fact is, they are the winners, they have majority allies, and they will get a great deal of what they want. At least in the realm of healthcare.

Now we come to the crux of the matter. The outburst by one Joe Wilson, a Representative from South Carolina, was uncalled for. It showed him to be a person of no class. In America all politicians, including the President, are fair game for vicious verbal attacks in any setting and arena other than a formal speaking event by the President to Congress. That is the nature of our national habit. Shame on you Joe Wilson. He is not alone however. The booing and hissing that some on the left side of the aisle involved themselves in during a State of the Union address by President Bush was shocking. It was especially galling, as many of those actually making that particular ruckus have traitorous tendencies. Whatever one may think of the former President, it was his mission to keep this nation safe and he did that to the utmost of his ability. Joe Wilson should certainly be ashamed of himself for his action and those that jeered President Bush not so long ago should be ashamed of themselves also.

The first chapter of Bruce Catton's work "The Coming Fury" will give a reader insight into some of the rough and tumble fights on the floor of Congress in another era. Words like "spaniel coward" were bandied about. Representatives were challenging each other to duels and of course Bully Brooks, another South Carolinian, beat Charles Sumner near to death. "The Coming Fury" is a chronicle of the events leading to the American Civil War. While nothing that cataclysmic is on the horizon now (at least one hopes not), the polarization of our great nation the last few years is becoming disturbing and possibly dangerous.It gives hope and comfort to our enemies. Keep that in mind.

I have been informed that now the Ga. Tech/Clemson game is tied at 27. See what happens when one quits watching college football to go play blogger? Lesson learned.

Is Real Journalism Gone for Good?

The more that I watch cable news networks, the regular networks, and read print/on line journalism the more that I believe that true journalists are a dying breed. There are so many so called pundits and commentators out there spouting opinions, that real news gets lost in the shuffle. The commentators on the cable networks have for the most part become nothing more than propagandists. Take MSNBC for instance. Is there anybody there that can honestly say that they are unbiased journalists? Olbermann, Maddow and that nut Mathews are nothing more than mouthpieces for the far (sometimes far far) left. They can be rather interesting, but they certainly are not taken seriously by the "silent majority." Do they realize that most of us look upon them as somewhat of a joke? That is doubtful; they probably believe they are mainstream. They most definitely do not practice journalism. I would hope that even they would agree. If not, they are deluuuuusional. The exact same thing can be said for most of those a Fox News. Hannity is a interesting dude but lets be honest, he is a cheerleader for the Republican Party. He would never admit that however. I think that even he has the sense though to not consider himself a real journalist. Glen Beck, or a least his staff, do perform some real investigative journalism. He definitely has an agenda, which dilutes his true merit as a journalist, but they do some real investigative work on his show. Some of the things uncovered recently have been rather amazing regarding some of President Obama's associates.
Lou Dobbs over at CNN is more of the same - A person spouting his opinion. Interesting perhaps, but journalism, perhaps not. CNN probably is still the closest thing to having true unbiased journalism in the cable news market. Fox News is not "fair and balanced" and MSNBC is for the most part leftist propaganda. Nothing more.

What is Journalism? It is the art of reporting the news without any slant whatsoever. This would be regardless of the individual journalists' personal beliefs. If a left leaning reporter found himself face to face with evidence of corruption on the part of a leftist politician, they would go after the facts with just as much vigor as they would with a politician that they disagree with. There would be no bias. Just the facts, that is what would be pursued. Are these type of reporters left? Where are all the tobacco stained, rumpled suit, whiskey habit, reporters of a time gone by? Dead and gone I would guess. Those were reporters. They have a lot in common with detectives of a bygone era. This new breed of journalist just does not cut the mustard. Now if you will forgive me, I must go get my hair styled to look good for my interview at the local paper.

An Excellent Blog from Michigan

For the past couple of months I have been following a very professionally done blog by John Mellem. Anyone interested in survival tips, gardening, predictions and politics will find this blog an interesting read. Some of the predictive scenarios that he writes about are quite frightening and one hopes that they don't even remotely come to pass, but, with the world situation being what it is - anything could happen. His gardening tips tie in with some "worst case" scenarios that are painted. Even one who has not the slightest interest in growing a garden might be tempted to reconsider and learn to grow a "green thumb" to help support themselves in the event of a catastrophic economic meltdown. I recommend that readers should "arm themselves with knowledge" and check out John at survivalstew.blogspot.com. You won't regret it.

Balance of Power: Essential for the Safety of Democracy

Balance of Power is a doctrine that appears to be forgotten and perhaps even repudiated by many in the forward movement toward the disaster called "Globalism." I am no expert on international business or foreign affairs, but it seems to me that we should take a closer look at the "BOP" theory to better ensure the well being of our nation and allies. Those advocates of complete "free trade" in the international business community are perhaps in the forefront leading political theory and practice at this time, and I would suspect the doctrine of "BOP" is anathema to them. Realists on the other hand know damn good and well that the world is a dangerous place and major conflicts and wars have occurred in the last century regardless of economic entanglements. Our enemies and potential adversaries must be contained economically, geographically, and militarily if possible.

There are many levels in the Machiavellian game of ensuring balance of power. Our nation should look to our own interests in this game and ensure that a potential adversary does not; can not; achieve a level of regional supremacy that allows it to escape "regionalism" and become a major player on the world scene. At this time there are nations that threaten the free world and are on a quest for global competitiveness and perhaps dominance. The following are some trouble nations that threaten our country. There is urgent need to keep them contained by military and economic competitors.

The second invasion of Iraq may or may not have been a wise idea on the part of the United States and partners. It is undeniable that Saddam was an evil dictator and was a threat to regional stability. Attacking and occupying Iraq the second time had to have been a tough call. If there were indeed weapons of mass destruction or if the Iraqi government was a sponser of Mohammedan terrorism, then it was probably necessary to destroy the regime. I fear, however that the major long term effect of our military venture will be to strengthen the hand of Iran in the region. In the 80's Iran/Iraq war both nations fought each other to a near stalemate, and while this was horrific, it worked to the advantage of the free nations. The war ensured that neither nation would gain the upper hand in the region and threaten our "allies" in the area thus putting our necessary petroleum at risk. In the First Gulf War, the coalition left the Iraqi regime in power, with just enough of a military to remain a counter to Iran. It does appear that then President Bush had some understanding of the importance of a military balance in the region. The current situation is very different. We are in fact, but not in name, occupiers of Iraq but will not stay for the long term. What will happen is simple for any observant person to predict. We leave and various factions in the country begin a campaign of butchery directed at their political and religious adversaries. Why? Because this is what they do. Iran will then step in and dominate Iraq and thus strengthen her hand in the region. At this time the coalition has become the counter balance to Iran and this fact will tie down troops and naval forces for a long time to come; playing the role that Iraq played under Saddam to some extent. This is physically dangerous to our forces as Iran very well may have the capability to conduct missile strikes on the Western Naval Fleet that is required in the region. It might be argued that it would have been better to leave Iraq alone, but as I noted, it was and is a double edged sword.

China is a potential, no not potential, a factual adversary of the United States and like minded nations. Her march toward economic dominance and military parity is very apparent and is ironically being aided by the international business, globalist community in the United States and other nations. That unfortunately will not change in the foreseeable future and I fear it will be extremely damaging to free nations everywhere. It is imperative that the democratic nations contain this threat before it is too late. Luckily at this time China does not have the military potential, or more accurately, the force projection capabilities, to seriously threaten her ocean seperated neighbors, exclusive of nuclear strike. We should endeavor to keep this a fact. China is historically frightened of Japan and for good reason. Look at the history between the two nations. We should ensure that Japan and China distrust each other and foster our relationship with the Japanese nation to keep this so. The Republic Of China is a thorn in the side of the Peoples Republic and we should ensure that she stay well armed and continue to be a "pebble in the shoe" of China. The Republic of Korea is useful in containing China as well. This is offset to a great extent however by North Korea. North Korea serves a useful purpose to the Chinese by being a proxy military threat to the Republic of Korea, Japan to some extent, and as an annoyance and potential military threat to the United States. More than one can play the "Balance of Power" game.
India, another developing nation that bares watching, also serves a useful purpose as an economic competitor and potential military threat the China. We should foster our relationship with this nation, although realize that her potential to become an adversary is not out of the realm of possibilities. Her naval forces could become a problem in the future. It is hoped that it will be used for containment of the Chinese threat, but that is not a given.
Even the small country of Vietnam serves the purpose of being somewhat of a "pebble in the shoe" of the dangerous Peoples Republic, and as much as it would be unpopular, it is important to foster relations with this small nation.
It is doubtful that Russia, at least at this time, will play a role in containing China. There is historical animosity, but Russia will most likely willingly come under Chinese dominance and become a threat again to Western Democracies and their allies around the globe.
Other nations in the region also look upon China as a potential threat and should be considered as playing a part in keeping the PRC contained.

The nation of Russia has thankfully been neutralized for the most part. She is now surrounded by potential adversaries which are populated by people who hate her. This works to the advantage of the Western and allied nations. Her access to a warm water port is now severely again restricted and it can be seen that she continues to endeavor to have this access with recent overtures toward Syria. If necessary she could forcibly take Ukraine to have further military access to the Black Sea, but would still be confronted by the Turkish nation that may deny her access to another constricted ocean. This is not a bad scenario for the free world to find Russia in at this place and time in history. It is imperative that she not gain access to warm water to again become a major naval power. It is further imperative that she continue to be surrounded by those who hold animosity toward her. This most likely pushes her into a subservient partnership with China, but that is a price that probably must be paid to ensure that she stays relatively weak.

We now come to extreme Mohammedism. This has of course proven to be very dangerous to Christendom and Hinduism and nations so subscribed. It is not however, a culture altering threat. They can and will continue to conduct terrorist operations, but they are no threat to destroying the democratic way of life. They are a dangerous annoyance much like a rattlesnake to the hiker. Keep a sharp watch and crush them before they strike. It can also be argued that extremists can be useful in the containment of our adversaries. They are at this time a cause for concern to both China and Russia, as well as a concern for their "brethren" in Iran. The United States, after all, utilized Muslim extremists to cause severe difficulties for the Soviet Union in Afghanistan with satisfactory results. Unfortunately we are now currently fighting these same Mohammedans.

Balance of Power is unfortunately a real world "solution" to dangers present and future. It is not without some moral issues that again unfortunately, must be overlooked. There is and will be a time when unsavory characters must be supported and if necessary supplied to contain the greater threat. That is a shame from a moral standpoint, but it can be, will be, and is a necessity to defending our nation and like minded states.