Monday Notes and Tater talk.......
Well Kids, The week started in a semi normal way today. This is a nice change from the recent bucket of ass that's been visiting here recently.

Normal and uneventful is A-OK with me.

Other than the fact that medical bills are gonna send me to the poor house everything is cool.

I planted Potatoes today. I'm gonna have an ass load of Taters this year.
I planted 3 kinds. Standard Kennebeck, Red Pontiac and Yukon Gold. One bed of each. Beds are 4'x12'.

Here's how I grow Taters. I plant them sorta shallow and as they start growing I cover the growth with a mix of soil and straw.
I leave a little bit of green sticking out. Taters and Tomatoes (and maybe some others) will send out roots from any part of the stalk that gets buried. What this means with Taters is that from these roots there will be more taters than just the ones from the original start. This is a good thing.
Keep burying that growth till about the end of June or the beginning of July. You'll get layers of Taters all the way up. Kinda like adding vertical layers of growth.

I used to get scrap pallets and screw them together and grow 'em in those. You can get a nice pile from a small area using this method.

I'll put a few posts around the Tater beds and string some chicken wire around them to hold things together as I build up the whole mess.

Besides getting a lot more Taters from the same area, another advantage to this is that it is easy as heck to harvest them. Just pull the wire or pallets apart and rake the pile out. The only ones you'll have to dig are those on the bottom and if you plant them shallow it's not much digging.

Some people use old car tires this same way. Just add a tire and soil/straw mix as things grow up.

One thing to remember - Make sure that no Sunlight gets on the taters. So cover them well as you go. Sunlight makes Taters turn green and the green ones are not safe to eat.

OK. You got that?

So you can grow taters even if you only have a small space.

It doesn't take a lot of space to grow a lot of food. With just a bit of creativity you can grow a lot of diffent things in a small space.

As far as getting seed taters, I've just gone to the grocery store and bought what they had and used them before. So unless you're picky about a particular type, it's not really necessary to order them.

There's lots of ways that you can utilize the space you have to grow some good food. I had a heck of a productive garden and yard when I lived in town. We grew a huge amount of things on our little 1/4 or 1/3 acre city lot. Including fruits and English Walnuts.

If you want to see how productive you could be, check these guys out. - Little Homestead in the City

Don't let all the California, HippyShit detour you. These guys have got a fabulous place and may be on the cutting edge of what home food production is all about.

It's obvious that these people have been doing this for awhile and have it figured out. I can't imagine how many years it's taken them to get this proficient and productive. PLUS. It really looks nice.
Screw cutting grass. Grow something that tastes good.

I have to admire people who go into projects like this and excel in this way. Think about what you could do with 5 acres?

As you can guess, I have been.

Gratuitous Picture of the Day -

TGIF .........
I'm glad this week is over. Way to much going on.

All things considered it's turned out pretty well.

With the GrumpyWife in the hospital Monday, I was fortunate to enlist a coworker, the lovely and talented Emily, to assist me on my trip to the surgeon for the Bionic Eye.

Big thank you, Emily. Don't know what I'd have done.

The wife had to go to the Big City Hospital yesterday for a Cardiac Cath proceedure.

Good News and Bad News.
Good News - Her arteries are clean as a whistle.
Bad News - I'm probably stuck with her for awhile longer.

OK, that's not really bad.

The Bionic Eye is taking a bit of getting used to, but all's well and my vision is getting better everyday.
Hopefully I won't have trouble at work this weekend like I did Wednesday. I doubt it will be a problem.

My Buddy Jerry went to an auction last Friday and picked up a slew of Guinea hen babies (known as Keets) and I went and picked them up this afternoon.





There's 10 of the little buggers on the kitchen cabinet now, making little Keet noises.

They are quite cute when they're little, but they get pretty ugly as adults.

But I like 'em. They're fun to watch as they move around the place.
They also eat Ticks like machines. So if you have a lot of Ticks, get Guineas.
They're noisy as hell and squawk all day, but I like that too.

He also sent me home with a 6 pack of his homebrew beer!
Oh hell yes.
Can't complain about that.

Gratuitous Friday Picture -
Summer Job you may not have thought about.

What's New in the News?
Well, I've missed a bit over the last few days.

Tam, over at View from the Porch Brings both of these two things to my attention.

U.S. seeks expanded power to seize firms-

"The Obama administration is considering asking Congress to give the Treasury secretary unprecedented powers to initiate the seizure of non-bank financial companies, such as large insurers, investment firms and hedge funds, whose collapse would damage the broader economy, according to an administration document."

WTF? The first line should be - "In a move that would make Hugo Chavez smile....."
But I'm sure Bill Ayers is smiling and that's probably enough for, The One.

Moving on, Tam also brings This Rant from ARFCOM to our attention
And it's a beauty.
Written by a successful fund investor who gives his opinion on the idea of limiting salaries by government decree.
I liked it so much I'm gonna copy the whole thing here. (He has granted permission)

I currently manage a medium sized hedge fund (long/short equity).

The current populist uproar is absolute insanity. I don't know how else to say it. You are never going to legislate away greed. Period. It is part of the human psyche. That's all there is to it. You can either fight it, or use it. Incentives work. This is why.

Let's step back a minute and think about why and how this happened:

1. Starting back in the 1970s Congress addressed discrimination in mortgage lending (which was really a serious problem) with the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975. This approach was to open lending statistics by requiring banks to disclose the details of their lending by geography and, eventually, demographics and income level. This was a stroke of genius. Large banks were shamed into good citizenship. The act did have the effect of elevating a number of "civil rights" personalities (Jesse Jackson, for instance) as they used shrewd public relations to expose some rather egregious practices by large banks when it came to mortgage lending. These same personalities, names you doubtless recognize, in some cases, adopted more aggressive tactics, some that borderline on blackmail and extortion today. I leave it to you to determine if this downside outweighs the upside of truth in lending practices. I, for one, think that forcing disclosure like this was enlightened. It was to be the last of its kind.

2. The Community Reinvestment Act really was a serious break with the legislative practice before the legislation. Suddenly, you have a small number of people determining where dollars will flow based on some political definition of who is worthy. The early definition could be right as rain in terms of who is deserving, needs a leg up, has been wronged, etc. etc. but once you go down this path, you are truly fucked. Once you start dictating capital flows based on political worthiness (an entirely subjective and whimsical standard) you have opened the door to all kinds of mess. Play stupid games...

3. ...win stupid prizes. In the 1980s and 1990s Congress literally had a hornet's nest up its ass with mortgage regulation. Almost 400 bills in the 101st Congress contained the word "mortgage." This doesn't seem like a big deal until you realize that the housing ranged from 7-20+% of GDP in a quarter. Absorb that. Something like 1/5 of quarterly GDP. Now put in place mechanisms to literally pour trillions of dollars into the system to encourage "The Dream of American Home Ownership." Think of it. You have a small group of regulators/legislators (less than 100 people are making major decisions about how much Freddie or Fannie will lend, or what their capital ratios will be raised to, or what interest rates should be) controlling a massive portion of the economy. You suddenly have price fixing for a sizable fraction of the GDP. To compete with Fannie and Freddie, their subsidies, their tax breaks, their implied government backstop and their downward pressure on interest rates, you have to take on more risk for less money. Hello Countrywide. (Just a bit of history, Countrywide was explicitly founded to collateralize the only loans left to non-GSEs- those not already being siphoned by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae). GSEs held 1/3 of all residential mortgages by 2001 or so. ONE THIRD. GSEs were run by political hacks, installed there as a reward for political services rendered. These are facts.

4. Banking and Insurance regulation is, and always has been, daft. The blind focus on capital ratios, reserve ratios and the like, and the pedantic concentration on definitions of risk that results in notional insured figures being counted in capital ratio calculations but credit default swaps not counted in this way was insanity. Of COURSE massive capital is going to flow into the exception you, regulator, have explicitly written into the regs. Now you are shocked and surprised that people wrote Credit Default Swaps like there was no tomorrow? Incentives matter. Period.

ETA: I am not stupid enough to ask you to explain to me why you cannot just let dying firms in dead industries FAIL? Watching an airline enter its THIRD bankruptcy, and proceed to wage a deleterious price war, only to suck down millions if not billions in federal aid may pull $50 off a ticket to Florida, but it also fucks the entire industry. You've created the appearance of a right to cheap airfare, cheap gas, cheap insurance, and bailout if the McMansion you were stupid enough to built on a 20 year flood plain gets- quelle surprise- leveled by a storm. Of course you can't let anything fail. You've promised the world. You've been borrowing and delaying the inevitable to deliver it for decades.

5. The market for talent is global, and you can't legislate it away. Like it or not there is a metric ass-ton of money in finance. The power to create, move or allocate wealth is very valuable. It always will be. You aren't striking a blow for social justice by enacting the first salary caps in the modern history of the United States. You are guaranteeing that finance experts will flee. The hiring binge going on right now as the likes of UBS suck out talent is just amazing. UBS, with the support of the Swiss Government, is offering 10 year permits to execs and their families who relocate to Switzerland, not to mention the ability to negotiate your personal tax rate for the next 10 years up front in some Cantons. You can't determine what finance execs will be paid, folks. You can only determined WHERE they will be paid. Who exactly do you think is going to pull the United States out of this mess. Big Auto?

So, let me get this straight, Mr. or Ms. Congressional/Executive Scumbag....

You've spent the last two decades pumping trillions upon trillions of dollars into particular segments of the mortgage market, a major portion of the U.S. economy, dictating what risks were appropriate, how much would be paid for assuming those risks and generally underpricing risk in the entire system for years and years. You've been inflating a bubble and assuring that the inflation passed to the riskiest portions of the economy. You've been passing the buck for four decades. Every time the economy tries to correct itself, you stall, pump borrowed money into the system, and grow the disaster the country will eventually have to face. You buy votes year after year by delivering graft now, to be paid for later (after you've long left office). In effect, nearly one third of the American economy has been run by central planning for the last five years. During this inflation, you happily collected taxes on everyone, effectively collecting tax on borrowed money and inflated assets (none of which you propose to repay- what luck would I have asking for the real-estate taxes I have paid for years on appraisals that were pure illusion?) I didn't hear you complaining when you saw massive, record revenues to the Treasury thanks to the boom the finance community facilitated and delivered to you, year in and year out. I didn't see you pointing fingers when we dug in and pulled your ass out of two recessions. Finance is a massive portion of the economy because it creates wealth. Period. Your social programs, state and local, are massive bloated vote-buyers because of our hard work, sweat and craft. (New York State, I'm looking at you). We work until mid-May for you and your vote purchasing juggernaut. I accept that. I have for years. This is because what I make from June to December is more than enough to, not just enjoy the American Dream and the promises of success and wealth, but to take the capital I collect over the years and invest it, again and again back into American business, start-ups, and even your fucked up GSE mortgage securities (which my taxes support). We carry the freight. 10% of us pay 70% of all income taxes. 50% of us pay 97% of all income taxes. We tolerate this because this is the promise of America. Work hard, pay taxes, and no one will second guess what you spend your money on in your personal time. No one will tell you how much is a "fair wage."

Now, now that you have run out of delaying tactics, you want to point the finger at... me?

I came to this country for a reason. I spent 9 years in U.S. universities, which I busted my ass to get into. I didn't borrow a dime to do it. I paid every cent myself. I've never so much as accepted a single unemployment check. I've never availed myself of any government largess that I wasn't forced to take. I have repeatedly declined to challenge some of your more deluded tax claims against my income in court, as was my right. Two of these I clearly could have won, though expensively. What's more, I consider myself a patriot. I consider it a great privilege to live in the United States and to be called one of her adopted children. I defend this country, and what used to be her ideals, to any European socialist moron who cares to engage me in conversation. I support the troops. Wherever they are. Unconditionally. I create jobs. Aside from two years where I broke even, I have made money for my clients and partners every year since I have been in professional life. This includes 2008 and 2009 YTD. You could house 50 families in reasonable comfort for 10 years on what I have paid in taxes since I've been here. Actually, now that I've actually done the calculation just now for this post, you are really pissing me off.

Now you want to call me greedy? Are you fucking kidding me? After you fucked this place up? You want to tell me that capitalism failed? What capitalism? You've socialized/centralized almost half of the GDP. Now, you want to use me and the paycheck I've earned year after year to deflect attention from the basic fact that you have been shoving debt on people who couldn't hope to find within themselves the character to take responsibility for repaying it? They get a pass and I get... what... a sharp stick in the eye?

And, you want to tell me that $250,000 is "enough?"

I will tell you what is "enough." Me paying for your power grab for the last decade now. That's quite enough.

Let me just tell you, Congressional/Executive Branch Scumbag, Esq., if you do this... if you take this turn... I won't even think twice. I will move my firm to Switzerland, or to London before the year is out. Those employees who do not follow me, I will have to fire. The corporate taxes I pay will no longer be yours. Instead, they will go to something useful, like a nice tunnel through a mountain for high speed trains that actually work. Further, I will dedicate a substantial portion of my personal time, effort and capital to frustrating your every attempt to collect personal taxes on me thereafter- given your draconian anti-expatriation laws. But that's not all. My job is to make money for my clients, in whatever way I can. I will short your flagging financial firms mercilessly and remorselessly. I will buy QGRI puts to bet against any firm that took bailout money. I will buy credit default swaps on every firm you put your greasy paws on, because I know your fingerprints are laced with poison. For every boneheaded centralist move you make, I will be there, profiting from your lunacy. I will never again take a client who pays taxes in the United States. I will not permit any capital or profit to be diverted to any such. I will do this because in the same way you believe it your divine right to punish "greed," I consider it my duty to punish the stupidity and arrogance that is central planning, and because I believe in economic freedom. I will divert as many of your resources to my new home and its relative economic freedoms as I can. I will promote free markets in this way, and I will never look back. You will have made it clear that you are my enemy, and I do not forget such declarations.

I take no pleasure in this fight. I did not ask for it. I only asked for liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Deny me these at your peril. In the end, I can only hope I'm not alone.

That just kicks ass and reinforces my belief in "The law of unintented consequences". Screw the productive people and they will just take their talent and go where the climate is more amenable.

See California for reference on this.

Non-Gratuitous Picture-
Obama pal and Mentor, Bill Ayers standing on Our Flag.

Tuesday Afternoon......
Here's a quick update.

The good QueenBuffness is home at the Bunker and doing well. Thanks for the well wishes.

My surgery went ok and I'm stumbling around trying to get accustomed to the new Bionic lens in my eye.

Pretty amazing really.

I did something this morning that I have never before done in my life.
I went in and bought a cheap pair of sunglasses and wore them out of the store. I've had glasses since I was in the first grade and have never just bought a pair of shades before.

I can't see shit within 3 feet right now, though that will get better as things settle in. I'm gonna need reading glasses of some kind. They gave me a pair this morning after my follow up exam and they help with close work.
In about a month I'll be able to get some reading bifocals to put in my old frames and whatnot.

What little I've done today is mostly garden stuff.

Planted peas and some more spinach.
Transplanted some more tomatoes out to the HoopHouse and a couple into the outdoor Wall-o-Waters. It's still a bit early for them even, but I'm counting on Al Gore's global warming to keep everything ok.

Transplanted a few raspberry plants to some new spots.

Made sure all of the newly planted trees, grapes and berries had a bit of water and cleaned and prepped a couple more beds.

Not a heck of a lot, but This eye is taking a bit of getting used to and I just don't feel like doing much. So I won't.

Gonna try to work tomorrow. That may be interesting. We'll see how it goes.

Gratuitous Picture Today is a Public Service Announcement -

In case you ever wondered why these Salmonella outbreaks keep occurring. Seems that the USDA has it figured out.

Quick Note ....
The Grumpy Wife is still abed at the Hospital and I will be gone getting the Lens replaced in my left eye tomorrow ( later today actually).
Prayers for the Wife appreciated.

See ya all later. (Hopefully with much more clarity).

Gratuitous Picture for the Day -

Sunday Morning ......
It's a beautiful Spring morning. Hope you can enjoy it while I'm off fighting the Forces of Drug Seeking Darkness in the ER.

The Grumpy Wife has fallen ill and is currently taking up a bed at the hospital. Hopefully, she will be recovered enough to return to The Bunker tomorrow. More on the later. Maybe.

Tomorrow is my second surgery.

So with all this shit going on, don't expect much for a couple days.

Gratuitous Picture -
Be Aware at All Times.

Garden Chores .......
Getting them done. Time to get busy.

I planted all of the new trees yesterday and today. Realized I should have ordered a few more of some things. I have a good mix now of Apples, peaches, cherries and plums, but need at least one more apricot and pear. I like to have at least 2 of each kind.

I'm gonna have a regular orchard around here before to long.

The trees seemed to be ok. They weren't supposed to be shipped till April, but came in the 2nd week of February instead. I don't like to complain about fast service, but that was not really ideal, since the ground was frozen as hard a Wedding Pecker.

They seem to have done ok though. Most of them had new growth started. The Pecan trees I'm not so sure about as they just looked like dead sticks.

We'll see. This stuff will fool you and I have no experience with Pecans.

Transplanted some stuff to the HoopHouse today and planted some more seed inside. The lettuce is coming up already and I'm happy for that.

TherapyBoy helped me top off the beds that needed a bit more dirt in them today. That's shovel work that I appreciate.

My back gets pretty sore running a shovel, pretty quick. Good work on his part.

I've got a couple of Top Bar Bee Hives I built out in the barn that I'm thinking need to be finished and stocked with Bees. Amazing since I was deathly afraid of Bees for years. Not worried about them at all now.

Funny how things change, eh?

Still waiting for my Taters to arrive. I should have gotten some Strawberries but forgot to order any. DUH. I suppose that can be fixed easy enough. The Interwebz are a great thing.

OK. That's it for tonight. Spring is here kids.

Remember what my buddy Jerry says - " Life is good. All ya gotta do is live it".

Cool BSA Flat Tracker picture for ya. Because that has a lot to do with gardening.

Places I wouldn't care to live .....
TherapyBoy (My oldest Son) and I took a run up to The Beer Store the other day. No big deal, We had worked hard and I needed a cold one.

The Beer Store is located in a little bitty country town about 6 miles from my place. Very convenient, as the next closest is about twice that.

We were about 3 blocks (The far side of this little town) from The Beer Store when TherapyBoy, out of the blue, starts yelling. STOP! STOP! STOP! GO BACK!!!!

I damn near had a coronary.

Being the good dad that I am, I went back to see what he was all spastic about.

Well, imagine my surprise. I've been coming to The Beer Store for close to 8 years and never noticed this -




That's just wrong.

Really, do I even need to make the jokes here?

Needless to say we had a hell of a laugh about this and both of us decided that we don't want to live on this street.

I seriously wish I kept a camera with me all the time. I have missed a few really good street signs over the years.

Here's one from a another little Indiana town I got last Fall -



WTF were they thinking about?

I don't care what kind of house, how cheap or how nice.
Not gonna live on THAT street.

I've decided to start carrying the camera with me from now on.

Spring is coming, or more accurately, is here now and motorcycle days are coming on strong. And that's a good reason to be getting out. Any excuse to ride is a good excuse.

I'll have to pay more attention though. How did I miss that first one for so long?

Gratuitous picture for today -

Why????????
Do people do such shit? And Video it fer crying out loud?

Found at Ace of Spades

Porn Sting Goes To The Dogs -

"Meet Michelle Owen. Concerned that an ex-boyfriend had used her laptop to search for child pornography, the Indiana woman asked police to search the computer for illegal images, but had her plan backfire when cops discovered two videos of her engaged in illicit acts with a dog. Owen, 24, was charged last week with two felony bestiality counts in connection with the video files....

Cops believe that the dog in question, Toby, is a beagle."

A Beagle.
This crazy Bitch lives in Indiana.
She's famous forever. Suicide is probably her only real option at this point.

For really sick laughs make sure to read the comments at Ace's place.

Oh. Seems we have an official police photo of Toby -
Good Boy!!!

A Couple of Good News Updates ......

It seem that Senators Max Baucus and John Tester got on the line to the DoD about the decision to shred expended ammo brass and just like that the policy has been reversed.

Military ammunition policy rescinded

Good jobs Fellas.

In other news, it seems like the White House is having second thoughts about screwing disabled Vets.

Or as Ace of Spades says - President TelePrompter Sez...We Won't Make The Vets Pay For Their Own Service Wounds After All

Nice picture there that I had to crib -






This is one of those things that still boggle the mind. Why would someone think of this kinda shit in the first place?
I'm glad someone pointed the error of this out to Him. Should never even been considered.

Bastard.

Ok. That's all.
Today's Gratuitous Picture.
3 Dickheads and a ........

Just Sorta How I'm Feeling ....
Listening to this tonight.



"I came home with a brand new plan".

Yep. Time to start thinking of some new plans myself. You all probably should be thinking of alternatives too.

I'm thinking, It's gonna get ugly.

Another Day. Another Outrage .......
From The Dear Leader.

Can these Sonzabitches get any more, "Miles per Stupid" from the Short Bus they're driving?

American Legion commander “angered” after meeting Obama -

"The leader of the nation’s largest veterans organization says he is “deeply disappointed and concerned” after a meeting with President Obama today to discuss a proposal to force private insurance companies to pay for the treatment of military veterans who have suffered service-connected disabilities and injuries. The Obama administration recently revealed a plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in such cases.

“It became apparent during our discussion today that the President intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan,” said Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion. “He says he is looking to generate $540-million by this method, but refused to hear arguments about the moral and government-avowed obligations that would be compromised by it.”

The Commander, clearly angered as he emerged from the session said, “This reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate ‘ to care for him who shall have borne the battle’ given that the United States government sent members of the armed forces into harm’s way, and not private insurance companies. I say again that The American Legion does not and will not support any plan that seeks to bill a veteran for treatment of a service connected disability at the very agency that was created to treat the unique need of America’s veterans!”

Commander Rehbein was among a group of senior officials from veterans service organizations joining the President, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki and Steven Kosiak, the overseer of defense spending at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The group’s early afternoon conversation at The White House was precipitated by a letter of protest presented to the President earlier this month. The letter, co-signed by Commander Rehbein and the heads of ten colleague organizations, read, in part, ” There is simply no logical explanation for billing a veteran’s personal insurance for care that the VA has a responsibility to provide. While we understand the fiscal difficulties this country faces right now, placing the burden of those fiscal problems on the men and women who have already sacrificed a great deal for this country is unconscionable.”

I read about this shit a few days ago and thought to myself, "Oh, Hell No. Nobody is that friggin' stupid to seriously propose something this crazy. Never Happen"

Guess again, Sparky.
Or as, Comedian Ron White would say, "I was wrong".

Unlike some of the previous Bullshit Ideas that have emanated from The Chosen Ones administration, this one is not from one of the flunky's speaking out of place. This comes straight from the, Horses Ass Himself.

Well, you wanted change? You damn well got it.

There is a sacred pact and understanding between The Military, The People and The Government that has an unbroken link back to The Civil War and President Lincoln saying -
"...to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan."

Pretty simple that idea, really. If you are injured doing your duty of serving the Nation, our people and government will take care of you.

See? Nothing difficult about that at all.

Now this, SonofaBitch wants to turf that off on someone else so he can spend money on his Commie friends at ACORN, to fund abortions in Mexico, or give Terrorists $900 million instead?

Not just, No. But, Hell No!

Read what this fella, a former subordinate of General Erik K. Shinseki, head of the Veteras Affairs Department has to say - RESIGN NOW

"....This new approach to screwing veterans however is beyond my parameters. Based on implied contract rules of law where there is not a veteran alive today that ever thought he would be liable for his own care after a combat related injury; I am not at all certain that this change is remotely LAWFUL.

Even if some pony-tailed Chicago lawyer finds a loophole to make this legal, no one with an IQ above that of a pencil sharpener can argue that it is ETHICAL.

But most important is the MORAL part. Anyone who thinks this idea is remotely moral is either retarded or just plain un-American. Where is the morality in a country sending a person to war and then refusing to pay for his care after being maimed in the war?

This is beyond immoral, it is un-American! And I will debate this issue with any dumbass veteran who voted for this amateur. If you’re not a veteran don’t contact me. If you want to defend this as a veteran (and you know we will check), I will do so in any forum you like as often as you like and I will ask nor offer quarter.

To all you trolls out there, consider this before taking my challenge:

President Obama wants to charge combat wounded veterans for care to save $500 million while simultaneously GRANTING $900 million to terrorist in Palestine to recover from the beat down that they sorely deserved.

I know whose side I am on, do you?

To General Shinseki I say RESIGN NOW. This is the only possible way to preserve your integrity as a soldier’s soldier. To do anything less is to slap the face of every wounded warrior and leave yourself as nothing more than a liar and pathetic political hack.

I don’t call for you resignation because of any malfeasance that you did but as a principled position against this atrocity and solidarity with the soldiers that you once commanded.

Please Sir, You Must RESIGN, RIGHT NOW!"

Go read the articles and think about this some. Then ask yourself, What kind of person would break faith with those who would sacrifice everything to protect us all?

I've mentioned previously that I kept my mouth shut and was willing to give this guy a chance. I went so far as to quit blogging during the time leading up to the election.

Fuck Him.

Happy St. Paddy's Day ......
To one and all!!

Growing up near Chicago, St. Paddy's day was always a fun time and was one of my Fathers favorites.

Here's a little song for you to celebrate the day with - The Chieftains and Diana Krall



Beautiful version of that. I especially like the guitar work.

OK, Minions. Enjoy yer day. I'm going out and get some work done.

Gratuitous picture for today -

This Would be Perfect .....
It they would sell me one that was functional.

One of the ChowderHeads at work slipped a copy of this ad into my locker last week. Nice truck detail item for the, "The Redneck who has everything."







One of the few disappointments of my military service was never getting the chance to do a live fire with a Claymore Mine (Wikipedia link for those who don't know what I'm talking about)

I'd love to have a Claymore Hitch Cover just as a conversation starter. If I were to put one on my truck, I'd sure as heck get some training caps and wire it to look like it was functional, too.

But $50 bucks for one that doesn't really blow people all to hell? Seems kind of frivolous.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you can't put a value on style like this.

Gotta go. Looks like supper's ready -

Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum.....
While I was on my blogging vacation last Fall, I made a little roadtrip to Alabama and The Barber Museum there.

Myself, ReTodd and NotGinger made the trip and it was one heck of a good time.

The place is absolutely amazing. More cool shit than you can shake a stick at. Everything is top shelf and laid out nicely and immaculate. The grounds, track, everything.

The sheer number of cool bikes and cars is incredible. Plan on spending the day to really get the most out of it. The staff are all friendly and will answer any questions. I spent a few minutes talking to Mr Barber (Though I wasn't aware of who it was at the time) and he was cool and answered my questions.

I would have liked to go down and check out the shop area, but that was off limits to mortals. From what I could see, it was cleaner than my kitchen.

Here's a few of the 200+ pictures I took -




The layout and displays are nicely done.



Here's the "Daytona Bank" display-







Cool old Crocker racer here.









Probably a good idea-









Maybe a few more later.
This should be a "Must Go To" trip if you like bikes at all.

So if you get a chance to go - Do it.

Monday Morning News to Get You Pissed Off ...
Not the way I wanted to start the day today.
Catching up on the news this morning by cruising through my usual pages and What do I see?
From Gun Rights Examiner - "DoD under Obama squeezes already tight ammo supply"

But you REALLY need to Read This To get the real picture here and appreciate just what this means. Here's a short sample -


"You can expect this to affect every bullet you purchase in the future--with no reloaded ammunition available, the already strained new manufacturers will be unable to meet demand. They are already turning out everything they can build for the military market. The civilian market is stressed to the point even reloading components have become hard to find.

Now, with this hit, ammunition prices will go through the roof in the next year.

Your quality piece, sitting in your gun rack, will become a very expensive wood and steel, or plastic and steel club."

That's not an exaggeration. If you've been shopping for ammo lately you know that it's difficult to find ammo in most common calibers and that the prices have already gone way up.

This is just gonna make it worse.

It's almost like somebody planned it that way. Nah, couldn't be.

If there's no ammunition, they won't have to -

Saturday Stuff For You ....
Here's a couple of things for you to check out today while I go off to the ER to fight the Zombie Hordes.

First we have an interesting way to control speeding from Denmark - This is definitely Not Safe for Work as it involves Boobs and outside the box thinking about traffic control.

Next, we have a simple graphic representation about the whole housing crises and it's causes - Meltdown Pretty good and simple to follow.

OK, that's all for this morning. Enjoy yer day, Minions.

Gratuitous picture fer today -

YerUnk Responds to a Comment .....

In the post directly below this one, I received an unusual comment from someone calling himself, Rev Donald Spitz. I don't get a heck of a lot of comments here, but most are from friends, family and the 3 readers of this crap.
I get a spambot once in awhile but most folks don't piss me off enough to respond like this.

The Rev Donald Spitz has pissed me off that much.

Oh Hell, just read it -
"The people that have shot dead babykilling abortionists did a good thing. The babykilling abortionists only reaped what they sowed. If they can murder helpless babies and it's ok, it certainly cannot be wrong to stop them in the same manner. I'm glad the people who stopped them did it.
SAY THIS PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I am a sinner and am headed to eternal hell because of my sins. I believe you died on the cross to take away my sins and to take me to heaven. Jesus, I ask you now to come into my heart and take away my sins and give me eternal life.
Rev Donald Spitz"

Dear Donald,

Let me say this up front. I hate abortion and see it as an abomination before God and a curse on our Nation. It is my sincere wish to see abortion on demand eliminated.

I am astounded that anyone who would call himself Reverend, would openly call for the breaking of Commandment Number Six - Thou Shalt Not Kill.

You do realize that The Ten Commandments are just that - Commandments.
Not Suggestions.
Not Good Advice From The Celestial Creator.
No, they are called Commandments for good reason.

In that post, I was commenting on an official State document that would classify me, through my outspokenness against abortion, a Domestic Terrorist.

You are who they were referring to, Donald. And for good reason.

I followed the link by your name to your website - "The Army of God". Let me clue you in on something, Donald. God doesn't NEED you or your Army. If He wanted abortionists dead, I'm thinking he could make that happen on His own. If He can set the stars in the sky, I see Him having no problem with passing out a few, well deserved heart attacks to those who earn them.

You shouldn't presume that you have any duty or right to glorify killers just because you like their selection process.

As someone calling himself, Reverend, you should know that God will deal with you also for "False Teaching".

2 Peter 1 - But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Yep, I think He was talking about you, Donald.

That leads me the second part of your comment, "The Sinners Prayer."

How dare you! After saying this - "I'm glad the people who stopped them did it." You have the nerve to presume that any rational person would be interested in YOUR definition of God and Salvation?

That Prayer isn't new to me. I spoke those words 24 years ago. I may not live it on a daily basis like I ought to, but I know what the score is.

To those who don't know what the score is, why would they want anything to do with the likes of you, your hatred, and glorification of murder?

Way to alienate the very people that God commands you to reach.
You should stop calling yourself, Reverend and step down from any leadership position you currently have. Go get a job at Kmart and shut the hell up.

You and your, "Army of God" would better serve God by casting yourselves off a cliff. I realize you may not be willing to take me up on that last bit of advice and I understand. That was asking a bit much. But you damn well ought to quit perverting the will of God and leading/driving folks away from God.

Don't bother commenting on this, Donald. You have earned the distinction of being the first commenter that I've had to ban.

Congratulations!

This is Interesting .........
Not encouraging, but interesting. I wonder how many other states besides Missouri have put out papers like this and we're not aware of it yet?

Hey, You're a Terrorist Now!

The link above goes to the We The Armed Forum. a place I frequent (and should add to the links).

But the story originates from - Alex Jones and Info Wars
Alex Jones is not the most reliable person. That wasn't always true, but you need a BIG chunk of tinfoil sometimes with him.
OK, official, GrumpyUnk disclaimer out of the way.

"Alex Jones has received a secret report distributed by the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) entitled “The Modern Militia Movement” and dated February 20, 2009. A footer on the document indicates it is “unclassified” but “law enforcement sensitive,” in other words not for public consumption. A copy of the report was sent to Jones by an anonymous Missouri police officer.
The MIAC report specifically describes supporters of presidential candidates Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin, and Bob Barr as “militia” influenced terrorists and instructs the Missouri police to be on the lookout for supporters displaying bumper stickers and other paraphernalia associated with the Constitutional, Campaign for Liberty, and Libertarian parties.

“Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) provides a public safety partnership consisting of local, state and federal agencies, as well as the public sector and private entities that will collect, evaluate, analyze, and disseminate information and intelligence to the agencies tasked with Homeland Security responsibilities in a timely, effective, and secure manner,” explains the MIAC website. “MIAC is the mechanism to collect incident reports of suspicious activities to be evaluated and analyzed in an effort to identify potential trends or patterns of terrorist or criminal operations within the state of Missouri. MIAC will also function as a vehicle for two-way communication between federal, state and local law enforcement community within our region.”

Read the 4-5 pages of this document (Use the 1st link as they are already enlarged) and see just who is included in the definition of, Domestic Terrorist".

Did you support Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin or Bob Barr in the recent Presidential election?
Do you oppose Abortion?
Do you support enforcing Immigration laws?
Think The Federal Reserve is Bad?
Think Gun Control and The Ammunition Accountability Act is a bad idea?
Are you a White Male?
Would you like to see Obama's birth certificate?
Do you believe in The Constitution and what it stands for?
Do you identify yourself as "A Christian"? That one counts too.

If you said yes to any of the above, to bad for you. You could be a radical, Domestic Terrorist and need to be watched.

Any of these impure thoughts means you are kith and kin to, The Aryan Nation. Abortionist Killer, Eric Rudolph. Timothy McVeigh and those wonderful sort of people.
There are other groups mentioned also, but I think you get the idea.

Unk has to wonder, just what kind of people sit around and think up shit like this?

Oh wait. The kind who work in Government. OK, this could really suck.

Since we are on the topic of, "Scary Shit", today's gratuitous picture -

"You Boys Had Best Just Move On" .....
Or so said the Police Officer.

In the comments to my post Thinking of My Buddy Steve Today, two of my brothers mentioned some Steve things that got my memory going & this was one of them.

Steve and I needed a roadtrip. Unfortunately, my motorcycle was tore up and out of commission. Being young and dumb and not adverse to unconventional thinking, we decided that we'd just double up on his bike and go.

So we loaded our camping shit in a big duffel bag, strapped in on his little Yamaha and we headed North to Michigan. No real destination in mind, we just figured we'd find the right place when we got there. What could go wrong?

We rode for several hours and stopped for lunch and a beer at a little Tavern on the main street of a little town. Well, as it usually seemed to go, 1 beer turned into 8-10 beers and several hours later we stumbled out the back door.

We saddled up and pulled out of the lot and up the ally to the main street to continue on our trek.

That's when things started going South instead.

Seems there was an annual event around this place called "Rodeo Days" and Steve and I were just lucky enough to be there for the big, kickoff parade.

And when we exited the ally onto Main street to head North, we landed right in the middle of the parade.

I think we were behind the High School Band but I'm not sure.

One of us probably should have noticed that the traffic was just a bit heavier and taking up both lanes in a one way pattern, but the Beer Navigation System was pretty well engaged by then and since all that traffic was going the direction we were wanting to go ...... Steve just fell right in like he belonged there. I was starting to freakout and Steve just said, "Wave Dumbass". So that's what I did.

People were waving back and smiling so it was all good as we rode along with the parade to the next block and exited the parade route, laughing like a couple of retards.

Unfortunately, there was a City Cop right there and our mirth was cut short when he pointed at us and told us to pull over.

Shit. Now I have this bad habit of laughing at inappropriate times and if anything qualified as an inappropriate time to be laughing uncontrollably it was when that Cop started chewing our asses.

Steve kept telling me to shut the hell up and that Cop was getting louder by the second and I just couldn't keep from laughing. I knew we were gonna go straight to jail and that this shit wasn't funny at all, but damn if I could help it.

About then the Cop says to Steve, "You boys had just better move on" and said, "Follow me" as he headed to his car. Since he hadn't even asked for our ID, I know Steve was thinking about ducking and running at the first chance when he told me to "Hang on". Not a good idea on a seriously overloaded 400cc Yamaha and I was hoping that somehow we were gonna get our asses out of this mess.

We fell in behind the Cop car and he led us down some side streets in a Northerly direction. I was thinking he was leading us right to the Jail as a convenience factor for him, but instead, he took us about 8 blocks right back to the road we wanted.

He stopped and came back and chewed our asses for a few more minutes and said something about " In 20 years never having to write a ticket for Parading without a permit". I started up laughing again as soon as he said that and he gave me one of those looks that meant "I am gonna kick your ass, Hippy" and that took care of anymore of the inappropriate laughter from me.

Having made his point with me, he looked at Steve and pointed North and said, to "Get the hell out of here and don't come back."

So that's what we did.

That was the first of two times that we were escorted out of town by the cops. I'll tell ya about the other time later.

Just Where Was This Place When I Needed It?????

We've all been - "Up Shit Creek without a paddle" before.

I saw this picture over at Coffee with the Hermit this morning and shamelessly stole it.

There are times when you find yourself up that creek so don't forget your paddle.

Tuesday Morning ......
Gotta go see the eye surgeon this morning to get measured up for the new lens to fix the cataract in my left eye in a few weeks.

Then it's off to the ER for 12 hours of Zombie time. Oh Boy!

Damn glad I'm able to work these extra shifts though. Even if I have to get more Zombie face time than's good for me.

Probably have to clean up the house tomorrow -

Thinking of My Buddy Steve Today ......
Beautiful day here today. Had some rough weather come through Sunday, but you'd hardly know it today.

Got the Grapes and Berries planted and laid out the planting sites for the new trees.
Ordered some top soil that should be here in a day or two. I really need that soil for planting the new trees. I plan on raising them up some when I plant because the drainage sucks so bad on this soil.

Anyway, I got to thinking of my Bestest Buddy ever, Steve who past away 2 years ago.
We'd have been out riding motorcycles on a nice Spring day like this.

So I'm gonna repost a story I wrote several years ago about him.

Originally posted December 2006. There's another good, Steve Story at the link.

No Really, I Don't Want to Buy a Damn Flower ..........



No, This post has absolutely nothing to do with Billy Idol. The picture just makes me laugh.

I can picture him doing a Christmas special. Ok, maybe not.


Anyway -

I've written HERE before about my Bestest Buddy, Steve. The only person I've ever seen get run over by his own motorcycle. Yeah, that's an accomplishment most Riders can't brag about.

I was out in the Garage a bit ago smoking. It's really nasty outside tonight and it reminded me of a night a long time ago when Steve and I were on a rode trip with similar weather ................

We'd already been riding for 2 weeks up into and around in Canada and had crossed back into the States at buffalo, NY. We were on our way to West Virginia to see his family there and We'd already had a shit load of good times. Even though it had rained for the first eight days of the trip we'd had a great time already and it looked as if the weather was gonna improve. It was bright and sunny that morning as we came through Customs and re-entered the States.

Then we ended up on that G-D Awful, Toll Road around Buffalo. Holy Crap! A toll Booth every 30 - 40 yards! We spent all of our breakfast money in the first 4-5 miles on tolls. That's when I saw a sign heading South.

A big Green Sign and an Arrow, saying "New Rochelle". Well, Shit. Laura Petrey? Dick VanDyke? Hell, that's all we needed to see after the Toll Road of Buffalo. South it is!

It turned out that Hwy 62 was a hell of a nice ride. I really don't know if we even went through New Rochelle, NY. Didn't matter. The weather was great and the road was nice (At least it was way back then). We had a great ride across New York and into Pennsylvania.

Then the weather went to shit. Started raining and the temperature dropped into the low 40's. Now, I'll bet Hwy 62 is a hell of a nice ride in Penn. It follows the Allegheny River and is curvy and I'm sure, it's fun to ride in good weather and daylight.

It was friggen' miserable that night. Neither of us had decent rain gear and we were soaked and freezing. I mean COLD. We kept pushing on. Mostly because we were to stupid to stop, but there wasn't any place to stop anyway, for what seemed like forever.

We finally ended up in Oil City, Pennsylvania. We pulled into a 7-11 type Gasso, to fill up and warm up. We topped off the bikes and headed inside to get some coffee and warm up. Standing outside of this place was a Moonie selling flowers. I never see Moonies anymore, but there were a lot of them around then.

He tried to sell us each a flower by getting between us and the door. We both growled, pushed him out of the way and kept heading towards the coffee, figuring we needed that more than a damn flower.

We hung out inside warming up, till the clerk started getting nervous. We then went outside and Damn, that Asshole Moonie, tried to sell us a flower AGAIN.

Knowing Steve like I do, when he put on his Game Face and told that guy, "You bother Me one more time about those Flowers, I'm gonna Fuck You up" - I knew what was coming.

Sure enough. Not 2 minutes later, Moonie Boy came back hitting us up to buy a flower. Steve and I both had a coffee in one hand and a doughnut in the other.
Steve calmly put the doughnut in his mouth and .............................. WHAM!! He blasted Moonie Boy right in the chops.

Flowers, teeth and Moonie Boy flyin' everywhere. Damn, it hurt me just seeing him land 4-5 feet from where he was standing. He was just laying there, spread eagle on the ground.
Out like a light.
Flowers all over him.
Bleeding.
It was beautiful.

Then the Cop, who had been parked in the alley walked up. SHIT.

He looked at Moonie Boy.
He looked at us.

Back at Moonie Boy.
Back at us.

Nobody said a word for what seemed like a loooooong time. The Cop just kept looking back and forth between us and what was rapidly becoming, in my mind, an Abstract Art exhibit titled - "Moonie Boy with Bloody Flowers in the Rain".

Neither Steve or I wanted to say a damn word. We just stood there holding our breath. I was thinking to myself, "Well at least it'll be warmer in jail than where we've been tonight".

Finally, the Cop says to Steve - "I told him not to bother you two". And he calmly walked back to his car and called for EMS to come pick up the "Art Exhibit" still bleeding in the parking lot.

We hauled ass and kept motoring.

Quote of the Day for Monday......
Saw this today at Say Uncle

A great quote from Les Jones in a discussion about - Healthcare as a right?

"If the Constitutional right to life implies a right to free health care then the right to the pursuit of happiness implies free hookers, booze, and cable TV."

Oh hell yes.
Turn this into a polling question and the results would be pretty interesting ........ Or depressing.
But if this were reworked and reworded a bit, I could see it as a campaign slogan in a year or so.

A siren song for the Zombies.

And today's gratuitous picture?
Don't want to go there. -

Weird and Wonderous .......
Things of interest on a Saturday morning.

Ever really thought about just how much a TRILLION dollars is?
Well HERE is a nice graphic illustration for you.

Gives you a better perspective when you hear the fools in Washington tossing about numbers.

Weird, how about this?

SAfrican couple drives 170km with spitting cobra in car

"Gordon Parratt, 69, felt the 85-centimetre (33-inch) long snake wind itself around his leg while he was driving.

At first he thought an insect had brushed his leg and swiped it away, but when he looked down he saw the snake next to his left foot, the report said."

"Fortunately I'm not the panicky type." - That may be the understatement of the week.

And the Quote of the Week Belongs to -

Tam at View From the Porch regarding our Presidents new Health Care Plan.

"Obama's plan will guarantee that the nation's elderly are shovel-ready."

That sums it up quite nicely.

That's all for now and maybe all till Monday. Off to fight the Zombie Hordes at the ER.

Today's gratuitous picture. A Steve McQueen Matisse Special. $18,0000 and you can have one -

HoopHouse Update.....
Basically done except for a few hardware and small trim issues.






Got the Wal-O-Waters set out and filled to day. Something chewed some holes in them while they were in storage out in the barn. So I only have 10 of them. Used all of my repair pieces, but didn't have enough to repair all of the damage.
Oh well. I'll need to order some more repair sets now.






It gets warm inside of that thing quick when the sun is out. That made me wonder if the W-o-W's might be a little overkill on days I'm not around to vent things a bit. So I'm going to experiment and plant some Tomatoes with and without the W-o-W and see how things go.


Next year I should be able to utilize this thing much earlier and perhaps put a grow tunnel in too. Maybe get some salad going all Winter with any luck. I can see that there is a lot of potential here, but I have no real clue as this is a first for me. We'll see.






As you can see, I placed a few outside to start warming up the ground for transplants. The Wal-O-Waters are really neat things. I've had tomatoes outside in March before and they kept thigs going well even in the Snow.

I did forget what a pain in the ass they are to fill. It's a good thing that you really only need to do it once a year. I'd forgotten the easiest way to do it at first.

It's surprising how much water is in each one. 2-3 gallons maybe? I spilled so much it's hard to be for sure.

It's supposed to rain for the next few days and be warm so that should make sure the ground is thawed out all the way. It's still frozen a short ways down in the shady spots.

Next week is going to be tree planting.

My tree order was supposed to be shipped in April, but for some reason they shipped it a week or 10 days ago. I don't like to complain about quick turn around time and speedy service, but I have no idea why they shipped it already.

I don't like setting them out this early but that's the way it goes.

Get tough or die I suppose.

And todays gratuitous picture -

To Much Out There Today ......
So I'm forced to do a major Link Dump.

OK Class. This requires that you actually read.

No, really. It'll be good for you.

I want you to think about what you're reading here and ask yourself, WTF?
Why is this?

Start easy with Ace of Spades and -
Obama's Cap and Trade Slash and Burn Plan for Destroying What's Left of the Economy

You really need to follow the links to understand why this is significant. Unless you were spending waaaaay to much time on the web during the election season. (Don't ask me how I know this.)

Next, via Western Rifle Shooters -
Obama & the Cloward-Piven Strategy of Orchestrated Crisis.
Have you ever heard of either Cloward or Pivan? I surely hadn't.
Hey, I readily admit to CELF status (Cross Eyed Little FuckTard) and, for an old dog, I try to learn new things. But damn. Sometimes I wonder just how friggin ignorant I am.

Anyway. This is a long read. Doesn't matter. You should take the time and read it. Lots of things that were mentioned but never explained during the election are covered here. Answers a lot of questions and begs more.

A very readable essay that explains a lot and makes me want to ask more questions.

Like, WTF is wrong with people?

And finally a funny video from Slublog



I don't even know who this guy is, but I identify with the message. Funny shit and very true.

Ok. I'll Take a Break From All The Political Shit For a Moment ..........

So you can read this awesome tribute to A WWII Vet and Father.
My Father Asks Me For Nothing

This is so well written. I thought of My Old Man and how often I think of him. Very touching.

Go. Read it now.