Delftsman

Drill Here, Drill NOW

Al Gore stated two years ago that "we should artificially raise the price of gasoline to $5 per Gal". He and his cronies have almost reached their goal.

Make no mistake, the current price at the pump IS artificially high, and it's NOT because of price gouging by the oil companies. It is due to idiotic energy policies that forbid drilling for our own oil, and the refusal to build new refineries over the last twenty years due to pressure from ill-advised environmental knee-jerkers that merely HEAR the word oil and immediately protest against anything connected to the industry. They taqlk about using "alternative sources", yet when those sources are even tried to be used; their heroes in the Senate block their inception, as when Sen. Ted "Swimmer" Kennedy blocked wind power generators in the Chesapeak Bay last year because he said it would spoil the view from the Compound, or the Sierra Club protested/prevented the same technology being used in eastern California three years ago because they feared for the birds in the area.

What DO they encourage? They say it's a good idea to convert a third of our corn supply into ethanol; regardless of the fact that it will HAS caused steep rises in the general cost of food. They say WE must "conserve, recycle and reuse", even though the High Priest of their movement, the mighty Al Gore, uses TWENTY times the average of power for just ONE of the homes he resides in. WE must pay a 30% premium and use underpowered eco-box vehicles, while Mr. Gore continues to use his Chevy Blazer (after all HE is important and has to carry all that eco-propaganda to his eco-revivals 'scientific' expositions to the saved morons of the Church of Carbon Offsets.

We do need to wean ourselves off oil as much as we can reasonably do as soon as we can, but we shouldn't make our economy tank in the process.

We have enough oil reserves for our needs for the next two hundred years, on our own land; we need to start using those assets to relieve our foreign dependence on the Arab mullahs of the Middle East as we also bring new technologies online to replace the use of that resource.

We need to bring new Nuclear, hydroelectric, and wind power power plants online as soon as possible to help reduce that dependence on oil.

We need to build/create the new energy technologies probably not even thought of yet to replace oil for general energy needs. Hydrogen, Fusion, and(better than current) Solar technologies are all posibilities that just need time to be made usable. Lets buy that time we need without taking our economy down the drain, use the resources we have here.

wHAT oBAMA really MEANS by 'change'

If The Shoe Fits..

New DeWalt M-16D nail gun

My new Nail Gun, made by DeWalt.
It can drive a 6-D nail through a 2 X 4 at 200 yards.
This makes construction a real breeze, and fun.
You can sit in your lawn chair, and build a fence.
Just get the wife and kids, to hold the fence boards in place.
While you sit back, relax with a cold coke.
When they have the board in the right place, just fire away.
With the hundred round magazine, you can build a fence with a minimum of reloading.
And the best part is, just think, after a fun day of fence building, with the new DeWalt Rapid fire nail gun, the wife will NEVER, ask you fix, or build anything else!

Something to think about.

Where are all of the Hollywood celebrities holding telethons asking for help in restoring Iowa and helping the folks affected by the floods?

Where is all the media asking the tough questions about why the federal government hasn't solved the problem? Asking where the FEMA trucks (and trailers) are?

Why isn't the Federal Government relocating Iowa people to free hotels in Chicago ?

When will Spike Lee say that the Federal Government blew up the levees that failed in Des Moines ?

Where are Sean Penn and the Dixie Chicks?

Where are all the looters stealing high-end tennis shoes and big screen television sets?

When will we hear Governor Chet Culver say that he wants to rebuild a 'vanilla' Iowa , because that's the way God wants it?

Where is the hysterical 24/7 media coverage complete with reports of cannibalism?

Where are the people declaring that George Bush hates white, rural people?

How come in 2 weeks, you will never hear about the Iowa flooding ever again?
_________________________________________________________________

I got the post above from a friend in E-mail and it really gave me pause to think about the differences in certain areas of the country.... even after Katrina, all you hyeard about was what was happening (or not happening, according to some sources) in New Orleans....you didn't hear much about the surrounding areas that were just as hard hit, if not worse. It was conventional wisdom that it was "all George Bush's fault",of course.

What was the difference between NO and the other areas hard hit by Katrina, and now the vast areas hit last week in Iowa? As far as I can tell, the main difference is in the expectations of the victims involved.

In those areas with large populations that were dependant on the government for their livilihood, and where there was constant reinforcement of the idea that "it's not your fault; you deserve help to survive", the people reacted just as you would expect from a victim mentality, they didn't even have the hutzpah to even get out of the way when they knew the flood waters were coming.

That helplessness included those responsible for the welfare of the community. Mayor Nagin decried the lack of Federal aid when he didn't even use the resources availible to him to evacuate people from the danger; just letting school busses get flooded rather than using them to transport people to safety.

N O had an election soon after the disaster and the people re-elected Nagin as Mayor in spite of his lack of ability demonstrated in the disaster; preferring maintaining the status quo of eternal dependence on government aid to the possibility of a new paradigm of self reliance with assistance to get over the hump.

We haven't heard one word of complaint from those in Alabama that suffered just as much as the residents of N O from Katrina or even those in LA that weren't in the city proper, or from the current victims of flooding in Iowa.

The main difference in expectations seems to stem from the race of those involved. I say this knowing full well that that statement will certainly make me, ipso facto, a Racist, but I don't think that anyone can argue about the fact that one group is predominately (poor)Black and the other two groups are predominately white and "middle class" Black. I think that race IS a factor, but attitude is a much greater factor.

I believe that the poor attitude is engendered by the social engineering schemes of the Left. I truely believe that the "Compassionate" Left are the true racists.
Misguided "help" in the form of welfare with no strings attached (no strings other than the loss of self-pride and trust in self reliance) has led to multi-generational government dependents that truly ARE incapable of fending for themselves.
The racism of soft expectations has proved to be even more destructive to the Black race than even the harshest forms of Jim Crow bigotry ever were.

We need to have an honest dialogue on race relations in the U.S., but I don't see it ever happening as long as the mass media only puts up the race pimps such as Jackson, Sharpton, and Wright as the "true" representatives of the Black population. Their only interest in race relations is in keeping them as strained as possible so that they can continue their money making power bases.
Have Blacks been abused in our past? YES, beyond denying by any sane person. Are there some inherent/unfair difficulties in being Black in America? I would say Yes, but with the stipulation that ALL of the races have some form of unfair conditions to deal with just by existing.
Its a true measure of the individual on how he/she deals with those conditions in constructive ways.

Just for Grins

My wife and I were sitting at a table at my high school reunion, and I
kept staring at a drunken woman swigging her drink, as she sat alone at
a nearby table.

My wife asks, 'Do you know her?

'Yes,' I sighed. 'She's my old girlfriend. I understand she started
drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear she
hasn't been sober since!

'My God!' says my wife. 'Who would think a person could go on
celebrating that long?

So you see, there really are two ways to look at everything ....

Quote of the Day

“The United States leads the world in too many areas for us to start imitating those who are trailing behind.” —Thomas Sowell

Obama=Poor Judgement...

This from the American Federation of Republican Women (AFRW):

If Barack Obama is elected it is possible that four Supreme Court Justices could be selected during his tenure.

Do you trust him to select Supreme Court Judges?

Obama's Words
When asked what criteria Obama would require when selecting judges he said,
"We need somebody who's got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it's like to be a young teenage mom. The empathy to understand what it's like to be poor, or African-American, or gay, or disabled, or old. And that's the criteria by which I'm going to be selecting my judges." - Barack Obama, To Planned Parenthood, July 17, 2007

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama on the Confirmation of Judge John Roberts:
"Truly difficult cases" should involve "one's deepest values, one's core concerns, one's broader perspectives on how the world works, and the depth and breadth of one's empathy." September 22, 2005

The Supreme Court Oath
According to Title 28, Chapter I, Part 453 of the United States Code, each Supreme Court Justice takes the following oath: "I, [NAME], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as [TITLE] under the Constitution and laws of the United States. So help me God."

NFRW's Words
A Supreme Court Justice is to "do equal right to the poor and to the rich"-not just the poor as Obama believes.

A Supreme Court Justice is to, "administer justice without respect to persons,"-not taking into account if that person is "African-American, or gay, or disabled, or old," as Obama said.

A Supreme Court Justice is to, "be impartial,"-not talking in to account "one's deepest values, one's core concerns, one's broader perspectives on how the world works, and the depth and breadth of one's empathy," as Obama said.

Barack Obama does not honor the Supreme Court Oath and its intent.

Do you trust him to select Supreme Court Justices?

*****************************************************************

NO. I DON"T.

20 WEEKS UNTIL THE 2008 ELECTION

Lets all learn the National'

Well, the Demoncrats are finally bold enough to show their true Socialistic heart. Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) proposed that the oil companies and refineries be nationalized, Rep. Maxine Waters(D-CA) agrees.

Kim Du Toit has the right idea: ANY polititian that proposes nationalization of any sector of private companies should be immediately be stripped of office for breaking their Constitutional oath of office. I would go a step furthur and add that some form of legal consequences be added to that. The statement that "they have the freedom of speech to say what they wish" is a true strawman, they do have the right to SAY anything they wish, but when their proposed actions violate their oaths of office, all bets are off, and there ARE SHOULD be consequences to be faced. Free Speech is NOT a defense for malfeasance.

Incidentally, Maxine, "the People" DO own those companies already, they're called SHAREHOLDERS, maybe you should go back to school and LISTEN this time in Economics class.

Democrats are all about injecting government into all aspects of our lives; experience has shown any of the THINKING people still left out here that government is the WORST choice to run ANY sort of undertaking (Amtrak ring a bell?...public education?...Medicare?), and the bigger the goverment, the worse their performance.

If we don't start holding our elected officials responsible for their actions, we will soon get the tyrany that we will deserve by that inaction.

R.I.P.

George Carlin has died from heart disease at the age of 71.

Mr. Carlin was an icon of my youth; the "Seven words you can't say on television" was one of the funniest things I ever heard and typified his lack of concern over the conventional.

Although we disagreed vehemently on most matters of politics, he still retained the ability to make you listen and, more importantly, THINK about what you believed in.

He once said that "if you scratch a cynic, you'll find a disappointed idealist"... that certainly explains a lot of his comedy. While disdaining political correctness he still espoused the "Progressive" ideals of the Left, while still mocking some of the byproducts naturally occurring from implementation of those ideals. In other words, he was an equal opportunity curmudgeon.
He will be missed on both sides of the political divide.

Just for Grins

Eighteen Double Vodkas

A guy walked into a bar one day and said to the barman, "Give me six double vodkas."
The barman says, "Wow! you must have had one hell of a day."

"Yeah, I just found out my oldest son is gay."

The next day, the same guy came into the bar and asked for the same drinks. When the bartender asked what the problem was today the answer came back, "I just found out that my youngest son is gay, too!"

On the third day, the guy came into the bar and ordered another six double vodkas. The bartender said, "Jesus! Doesn't anybody in your family like women?"

The man downed the first drink and shook his head, "Yeah, my wife!"

Some Good Advice

Those that know me know that my greatest passion is motorcycling (which is a real drag when I'm on the disabled list...) I'm always looking for new avenues of learning about what moves me, so I joined an online Women's Forum group (STOP laughing!) that has a section devoted exclusively to motorcycles; I don't care the source, if I can learn from it.

They have a great article this week on the do's and dont's of being a good passenger, that is a good base primer for those that have never ridden and wonder what it would be like to be on a bike and so take a lift.

Sometimes the commenters can get too far into the touchy-feely mode, but on the whole they really seem to know the score and tell it like it should be.

My most basic piece of advice for those considering riding?, just remember this:

There are two types of riders; those that have gone down, and those that will go down.

Every time I get on my bike, I always check to see if I experience just a tiny tingle of butterflys in my stomach, If I DON"T feel it, I don't ride. Reasonable fear is good, it helps keep you safe. ("Caution" may be a better word for it, but everyone knows what fear is and may term caution as something else.)

Decide if the risk is worth the experience (to me it IS) and plan ahead for that time when there is only time to "wonder just how much this is going to hurt". You ride long enough, it WILL happen. Being forewarned and prepared can make all the difference between "what a stupid thing to happen" and "The family requests that in lieu of flowers that a donation be made to (the charity of your choice)" Stay alert and always try to prepare for the worst scenario.

Friendly advice for what it's worth:

1) Take a riders safety course from the AMA, ABATE, or other qualified organization. Even as just a passenger, they can teach you how to stay as safe as possible, if you listen and take their instruction to heart.

2) ALWAYS dress properly :

(A) NEVER wear polyester (unless you really enjoy the Medics using a wire brush on your skin to get the melted debris off/out of it).

(B) Leather is the best option, heavy denim is second.

(C) Never wear shorts. Long sleeves are allways preferable.

(D) Wear heavy shoes that provide support and ankle protection. Boots would be best. Make sure that any footwear you ride in has a heavy sole that can give you traction and protection. Tennis shoes are NOT good riding gear.
Wearing Flip flops is a good way of clueing everyone around you on just how much of an idiot you are, so that they can try to stay as far away from your incipent tragedy as possible. (Hmmm. maybe that could be a good thing...I may have to re-think this one)

3) ALWAYS consider every other vehicle around you as an enemy that is out to ruin your day....most of them aren't but you never know WHICH one of them IS, so they must all be suspect. Plan for what they may do before they do it and try to always leave yourself an "out" and plan how you will use it.

4) WHEN that car pulls that bonehead action, and you know that there is no other option, LAY THE BIKE DOWN. Try to get the mass of the bike between you and what you're going to strike, it's a lot easier to replace a bike than your body parts. (Being properly dressed will give you more confidence that you will reduce your injuries as much as possible when using this manuever). This procedure is only rarely mentioned in passing, if at all, but I'm sitting here capable of passing this on because my father taught me how to do this when he first taught me how to ride as a young teenager with a skull full of mush. I'm convinced that it has saved my life on at least two occasions, and prevented some serious injuries on at least three other occasions

5) Use good sense, if you don't, riding is a highly effective way of thinning the gene pool. Yes, it IS a thrill to take that machine up to it's RPM limit, but the faster you go, the less chance you have to survive when things go wrong. I don't know too many riders that haven't gone up to that red line at least once, but count yourself lucky if you survive the experience and don't make a habit of it. On the flip side DON'T be TOO cautious either. It is really dangerous to be a roadblock in the way of ({usually} impatient) traffic, if you are too scared to ride at reasonable speed, biking just may not be the activity for you, at least not on public streets.

6) You may wonder why I haven't said "ALWAYS wear a helmet".
I think that it's a mixed bag. Beginning riders should always wear a helmet. Once you have enough experience under your belt, I personally feel it should be an individual choice.
I USUALLY wear one, but sometimes I just don't want to, and I feel that there really are some legitimate reasons NOT to, but that's a discussion for another time. Suffice it to say that personal freedom comes with personal responsibilty in making informed choices; I don't believe in legislating that choice away from anyone.

Neighbors...

Well the creatures living next door are in fine voice today....they are playing their (C)rap music so loud that they have to yell at the top of their lungs to try to have what passes for a conversation with each other...if screaming obscenities every three words at each other and saying "Ya feel me on dat?" can be called conversation.

It's a real shame that some humanoid creatures just didn't receive the proper training growing up on the fact that people have to make some accomodations when they live in a neighborhood where the houses are within ten feet of each other. I've complained to the responsible parties and have been told that I am 'intruding on their privacy' when I do so...yet they fail to see any problem when I can't hear my tv over their noise in my own living room located on the OTHER side of my house from them.

Yes the Police have been notified, several times, but as yet they have failed to make any checks...just as well, I really don't wish to have to watch my back every time I leave my front door. Not really their thing anyway; not sexy enough.

But if you see a news story about a Indiana Cracker going berserk and shooting into a crowd on a private residence's porch; please send me some bail money!

Unbutton Your Shirt...

After retiring, I went to the Social Security office to apply
for Social Security. The woman behind the counter asked me for my
driver's license to verify my age. I looked in my pockets and realized I
had left my wallet at home. I told the woman that I was very sorry, but
I would have to go home and come back later.

The woman said' 'Unbutton your shirt.'

So, I opened my shirt revealing my curly silver hair. She said
'That silver hair on your chest is proof enough for me', and she
processed my Social Security application.

When I got home, I excitedly told my wife about my experience at the
Social Security office.

She said, 'You should have dropped your pants... you
might have gotten disability, too'

(Hmmm...I joke I can relate to.....Thanks Wayne)

Golf Ball Hunt

Off the seventh tee, Joe sliced his shot deep into a wooded ravine. He took his eight iron and clambered down the embankment in search of his lost ball.

After many long minutes of hacking at the underbrush, he spotted something glistening in the leaves. As he drew nearer, he discovered that it was an eight iron in hands of a skeleton!

Joe immediately called out to his friend, "Jack, I've got trouble down here!"

"What's the matter?" Jack asked from the edge of the ravine.

"Bring me my wedge," Joe shouted. "You can't get out of here with an eight iron!"

Gas Too High?

I need a LITTLE MAN GAS SYSTEM(tm)!

Just maybe I could save enough to be able to pay the lawers if we got caught....

Just for Grins

Yeah, I'm being lazy....here's some jokes I got in my E-mail today, I hope they give you a lift like they did for me.

The Hair Dryer

A distinguished young woman on a flight from Ireland asked the Priest
beside her, 'Father, may I ask a favour?'
'Of course child What may I do for you?'

'Well, I bought an expensive woman's electronic hair dryer for my
Mother's birthday that is unopened and well over the Customs limits and
I'm afraid they'll confiscate it. Is there any way you could carry it
through customs for me? Under your robes perhaps?' 'I would love to help
you, dear, but I must warn you: I will not lie.'

'With your honest face, Father, no one will question you.'
When they got to Customs, she let the priest go ahead of her.
The official asked, 'Father , do you have anything to declare?'
'From the top of my head down to my waist, I have nothing to declare.'
The official thought this answer strange, so asked, 'And what do you
have to declare from your waist to the floor?'

'I have a marvelous instrument designed to be used on a woman, but
which is, to date, unused.'
Roaring with laughter, the official said, 'Go ahead, Father. Next!'

***********************************************************

Replacement Windows

Last year I replaced all the windows in my house with that
expensive double-pane energy efficient kind, and today, I got a call
from the contractor who installed them. He was complaining that the
work had been completed a whole year ago and I still hadn't paid for
them.

Hellloooo, just because I'm BLONDE doesn't mean that I am automatically stupid. So, I told him just what his fast talking sales guy had told ME last year, namely, that in ONE YEAR these windows would pay for themselves!

Helllooooo! It's been a year! (I told him!)

There was only silence at the other end of the line, so I
finally just hung up.... He never called back.

Guess I won that stupid argument. I bet he felt like an
idiot.

***********************************************************

9 Months Later...

Jack decided to go skiing with his buddy, Bob. So they loaded up Jack's minivan and headed north. After driving for a few hours, they got caught in a terrible blizzard. So they pulled into a nearby farm and asked the attractive lady who answered the door if they could spend the night.

"I realize it's terrible weather out there and I have this huge house all to myself, but I'm recently widowed," she explained. "I'm afraid the neighbors will talk if I let you stay in my house."

"Don't worry," Jack said. "We'll be happy to sleep in the barn. And if the weather breaks, we'll be gone at first light." The lady agreed, and the two men found their way to the barn and settled in for the night. Come morning, the weather had cleared, and they got on their way They enjoyed a great weekend of skiing.

But about nine months later, Jack got an unexpected letter from an attorney. It took him a few minutes to figure it out, but he finally determined that it was from the attorney of that attractive widow he had met on the ski weekend.

He dropped in on his friend Bob and asked, "Bob, do you Rremember that good-looking widow from the farm we stayed at on our ski holiday up north about 9 months ago?"

"Yes, I do." Said Bob.

"Did you, er, happen to getup in the middle of the night, go up to the house and pay her a visit?"

"Well, um, yes!," Bob said, a little embarrassed about being found out, "I have to admit that I did."
"And did you happen to give her my name instead of telling her your name?"

Bob's face turned beet red and he said,
"Yeah, look, I'm sorry, buddy. I'm afraid I did." "Why do you ask?"

"She just died and left me everything."

(And you thought the ending would be different, didn't you? get your mind out of the gutter ! ... you know you smiled...now keep, that smile for the rest of the day!)

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This just proves that we have become too dependent on our computers.
Are you male or female? To find out the answer, look down.......
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Look down, not scroll down. Geeez.

Thanks to Jack and Wayne

Thought of the Day

Life is like a roll of toilet paper ...the closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes...
so have fun, think 'good thoughts' only, learn to laugh at yourself, and Count your blessings!

Who said that the Germans have no sense of humor?

Thanks Misha!

Race

H20 has a great post that calls for an honest discussion of race that will no doubt earn her the epitaph of "Racist" and "hatemonger"...

It's refreshing to hear honest talk for a change, instead of mealy mouthed euphamisms. We do need to have a good, honest dicussion on race relations where the White side can be heard as well as the usual Black accusations and demands.

To those of "Rev." Wrights' ilk that damn America for being racist and "keeping the Brothers down", I invite them to examine Africa itself for REAL racism and hate.

Rhodesia USED to be the breadbasket of Africa, then the 'enlightened' Brothers took over from the "Colonial racist overlords"...Zimbabwe is now second only to Darfur in (BLACK) tribe on tribe genocide and the people are starving.

South Africa WAS racist in their social policies; BUT it's funny, Black people voted with their feet to enter the country from all over the rest of the continent because, even with the blatently overt racism, living conditions there were still better than in any other country in the area, and now that majority rule has been established, the conditions have deteriotated to almost match those other hell holes.

Call me racist, but if you look at the proof of real results it does seem that, as a group, Blacks come up deficiant. Individuals are brilliant and shine nova-like for being set among the general dross of the rest of the mass that is content to feed off of largess of the general public that allows them the free time to complain about how put down they are.

Whites historically treated Blacks shamefully, and some sort of restitution in the form of a hand up was justified to level the playing field, but I would contend that that that restitution in the form of set asides, racial hiring quotas, educational aid, and just plain handouts have already leveled that playing field long ago and it's time that the Black population look to itself to ensure that they use those tools to raise themselves to where they wish to be, and not depend on White Guilt to just give it to them.

Recent Black immigrants from Africa, Jamaca, Honduras, etc, etc seem to fare much better than their native born compatriots; they see and USE the opportunities afforded them to great effect, and still maintain their dignity and racial and personal pride. They are too busy making a success of themselves to complain about some historical grievences of no personal consequence to themselves. They acknowledge the past, learn from it, and use the present opportunities to raise themseves to wherever their native abilities can take them. They have moved on from the past; it's time their betheran do the same.

Thanks to GuyK for the link

Just for Grins

The Scottie Dog Who Knew Karate

There once was a young couple who lived in a town filled with crime. After three neighbors' houses had been robbed, the couple decided to get a guard dog.
So one day the wife went to the pet store and said, "I need a good guard dog."

And the clerk replied, "Sorry, we're all sold out. All we have left is this little Scottie dog. But he knows karate."

The wife didn't believe him so he said to the dog, "Karate that chair."

The dog went up to the chair and broke it into pieces, then he said to the dog, "Karate that table." The dog went up to the table and broke it in half.

So the wife bought the dog and took it home to her husband who was expecting a big guard dog. But then she told her husband that it knew karate, and he said "Karate my ass!"�

apology

I know I haven't been posting as I should, and I'm sorry for that, but it's difficult to do so when your world is constantly spinning around you like a top.

It takes about four times longer to type anything than it usually does for me, and it's even harder to read; not to mention that the drugs they have me on tend to make me more scatterbrained than a Blond on Tequilla. Rather than trying to egage in any arguments on the issues of the day, I'm just trying to make sense of simple sentences like "He went to the creek to get some water".

I find myself wondering why he's going to the creek rather than the kitchen faucet, and if the creek water has been tested safe by the local water board or not. How does he get to the creek; does he walk or ride a bike? How cold is the water? How deep is the creek? Why in the HELL am I concerned about some dumbass using unprocessed water? Do I know this yahoo?

See what I mean? Hopefully the Docs will get my dosages correct soon and I'll revert to my usual (semi)logical/sane self. It's really frustrating. All the symptoms of my CVA seem to manifest internally except for the loss of a regular sense of balance, and to someone that doesn't know me that just looks like I've drunk one or two too many martinis, hence worthy of only disgust at a sloppy drunk. I'm doing my exercises and believe it or not, my Doc told me that trying to post at least once or twice every day should be a part of my rehabilitation regimen...only thing is that I just can't get anything up worth reading, so if there are some strange things up the next couple weeks, please bear with me. Laugh at the idiocy, be assurred I am. Beats crying.

Just for Grins

A man walks into a restaurant with a full-grown ostrich behind him.
The waitress asks them for their orders. The man says, 'A hamburger,
fries and a coke,' and turns to the ostrich, 'What's yours?' 'I'll have the
same,' says the ostrich.

A short time later the waitress returns with the order ' That will be
$9.40 please,' and the man reaches into his pocket and pulls out
the exact change for payment. The next day, the man and the ostrich
come again and the man says, 'A hamburger, fries and a coke.' The
ostrich says, 'I'll have the same.'

Again the man reaches into his pocket and pays with exact change.
This becomes routine until the two enter again. 'The usual?' asks the
waitress. 'No, this is Friday night, so I will have a steak, baked potato
and a salad,' says the man. 'Same,' says the ostrich.

Shortly the waitress brings the order and says, 'That will be $32.62.'
Once again the man pulls the exact change out of his pocket and
places it on the table. The waitress cannot hold back her curiosity
any longer. 'Excuse me, sir. How do you manage to always come
up with the exact change in your pocket every time?"

'Well,' says the man, 'several years ago I was cleaning the attic
and found an old lamp. When I rubbed it, a Genie appeared and
offered me two wishes. My first wish was that if I ever had to pay
for anything, I would just put my hand in my pocket and the right
amount of money would always be there.' 'That's brilliant!' says
the waitress. 'Most people would ask for a million dollars or
something, but you'll always be as rich as you want for as long
as you live!''That's right. Whether it's a gallon of milk or a Rolls
Royce, the exact money is always there,' says the man.

The waitress asks, 'What's with the ostrich?' The man sighs,
pauses and answers, 'My second wish was for a tall chick with a
big butt and long legs who agrees with everything I say.'

Marine : 1 1/2 Goblins: 0

Beware of old men wearing side arms ...

Last week police were called to investigate an attempted armed robbery in South Florida :

The 71-year-old retired Marine who opened fire on two robbers at a Plantation, FL, Subway shop late Wednesday, killing one and critically wounding the other, is described as John Lovell, a former helicopter pilot for two presidents. He doesn't drink, he doesn't smoke, he works out everyday. Mr. Lovell was a man of action Wednesday night.

According to Plantation police, two masked gunmen came into a small restaurant at 1949 N. Pine Rd. Just after 11 p.m. There was a lone diner, Mr. L ovell, who was finishing his meal. After robbing the cashier, the two men attempted to shove Mr. Lovell into a bathroom and rob him as well. They got his money, but then Mr. Lovell pulled his handgun and opened fire. He shot one of the thieves in the head and chest and the other in the head.

When police arrived, they found one of the men in the sho p. K-9 units found the other in the bushes of a nearby business. They also found cash strewn around the front of the sandwich shop according to Detective Robert Rettig of the Plantation Police Department.

Both men were taken to the Broward General Medical Center , where one, Donicio Arrindell, 22, of North Lauderdale died. The other, 21-year-old Frederick Gadson of Fort Lauderdale is in critical but stable condition

A longtime friend of Lovell was not surprised to hear what happened. The friend said, ''He'd give you the shirt off his back, but he'd be mad as hell if someone tried to take the shirt off your back.''
Mr. Lovell was a pilot in the Marine Corps, flying former Presidents John F.. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He later worked as a pilot for Pan Am and Delta.

He is not expected to be charged authorities said. ''He was in fear for his life,'' Detective Rettig said, 'These criminals ought to realize that most men in their 70's have military backgrounds and aren't intimidated by idiots.'

Something tells me this old Marine wasn't 'in fear for his life', even though his life was definitely at risk. The only thing he could be charged with is participating in an unfair fight. One 71 - year young Marine against two punks. Two head shots and one center body mass shot - outstanding shooting! That'll teach them not to get between a Marine and his meal.

Don't you just love a story with a happy ending?

( Florida law allows eligible citizens to carry a concealed weapon. Every state should.)

Battle Hymn of the Republic

Chris, from My Second Amendment group, sent me this in an E-mail today,
I challenge anyu of you to watch this and NOT get a tear in your eye. The fact that this was a project CHOSEN by a group of public school teen-agers in support of our Military only makes it all the better...maybe there is hope for our Country yet, if there are enough of the younger generation that believe the same way.