Your Crazy Uncle

2012-01-28T10:58:00.003-05:00

Funny Night in the ER....................

Worked a half shift to help out and make a little extra cash last night.
Go to the sink to wash my hands and sitting on the counter is this-

Yep. "Cleaner Than Shit" hand sanitizer!
How come I don't think of these things??

Well, I do think of them. But someone went ahead and put it into action.

Absolutely love it.

2012-01-27T16:12:00.002-05:00

Another Day, Another Threat...............

I know I've been hitting on this theme a lot recently. But damn. It truly is becoming a daily event that one government agency or another releases plans that will stifle our Liberty further.

Today's example-
FBI Wants New App to Wiretap the Internet
"It notes that agents need to "locate bad actors...and analyze their movements, vulnerabilities, limitations, and possible adverse actions". It also states that the bureau will use social media to create "pattern-of-life matrices" -- presumably logs of targets' daily routines -- that will aid law enforcement in planning operations."

Now if you put this together with the DHS and Google things I posted about earlier this week, you'd be forgiven for thinking there may be a coordinated pattern developing.

This is Orwell's Big Brother staring us right in the face.
Shit. This is depressing to see our once great nation devolve into East Germany.
The NDAA 2012 legislation gave them the power to use the military to snatch your ass up and detain you forever w/ no right to council and no options.
This new, all encompassing surveillance and data mining will just make it easier for them to target individuals.

It's not a coincidence.

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday-

2012-01-26T16:17:00.003-05:00

To Funny Not to Swipe.............

Back Story Here

Photo Shamelessly Stolen from Zoomie

2012-01-26T12:30:00.002-05:00

Now This is Gonna Be Interesting....................
I've been watching this for the last couple of weeks, but frankly didn't think anything would come of it.

I'm still doubtful anything substantial will develop from this, But any and all efforts to undermine Obama are ok by me.

Obama Attorney attempts to avoid January 26 Georgia ballot eligibility hearing
"(Paulding County, Georgia) On the eve of the much anticipated 2012 Georgia ballot eligibility hearing, Obama’s attorney, Michael Jablonski has sent a letter to Georgia’s Secretary of State Brian Kemp stating that Mr. Kemp intervene to halt the hearing....."

It seems that the Georgia Secretary of State, the Hon. Brian P Kemp, after getting in touch with his inner Gen. McAuliffe has replied.

His reply reads to me as a formal "Go Pound Sand".

You can read the letter and whatnot at the links.

Like I said, still have my doubts on this ending up being meaningful, but it's nice to see the States beginning to tell Washington to Piss Off.

Gratuitous Picture for a Thursday Morning-

2012-01-25T23:39:00.003-05:00

A Little More Every Day...........
And it seems that the pace just keeps increasing.

Shock Docs: Total Federalization of Police Under New Homeland Security Mission.
"A new white paper presented to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence carves out an ‘evolving mission’ for Homeland Security that moves away from fighting terrorism and towards growing a vast domestic intelligence apparatus that would expand integration with local/state agencies and private-public partnerships already underway via regional fusion centers."

Being that this is on InfoWars,com, I always make sure to follow the links. They can be a bit flaky at times.
Nope. Not this time. They have the links to back this up.
Read it and plan accordingly.

IN RELATED NEWS-

Tam at View From the Porch noted that with the Super Bowl in Indy, there are gonna be a shitload of new surveillance cameras installed.
Which ain't going away after the game.
Cameras to aid Super Bowl traffic, security

"They both move up and down side to side. What's nice about the new cameras we've got is they're digital cameras. They're more of a high-definition camera, so it allows us a much more clear picture and ability to zoom in more than we could with the other cameras," said IMPD Deputy Chief Michael Bates.

That means clearer up-close images of license plates and faces, too. But there will be no facial recognition software hooked up to the cameras, at least not in the near future."

Before long, you won't be able to take a dump without someone knowing about it.

I should have remembered this video yesterday when I was discussing Google-

Better be thinking about this, Kids.

Gratuitous Picture for a Wednesday Night-

2012-01-25T12:26:00.003-05:00

This is Scary and May Just Explain a Lot About Our President...........
I'm gonna have to crib a bunch from The Gateway Pundit here.
I've got a zillion thoughts running back and forth in my head on this, but I ask you to follow through, watch the video and follow the link to the Gateway Article

First, here's the video-

I know absolutely zero about Ms Crowley so I was kinda thinking, "Oh Bullshit. GMAGDBreak".

But I followed the link provided to a Google online copy of Alinsky's book and sure enough, there it is -

Opening page - Dedication

“Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical: from all our legends, mythology, and history... the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom — Lucifer.”

It's well established that Obama taught Alinsky tactics, both in an academic setting and as a community organizer back in Chicago.
What's it really mean? Beats the shit out of me. You could take a zillion different routes on this and I believe there are folks smarter than me who should do that so I'm not gonna go off on Tin Foil Adventures or Theology here.

But here's one thing I do know-

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places]." Ephesians 6:12.

Like I said, gives a guy a lot to think about.
I'm nobody's example of a good Christian man, but I have never doubted anything written in the Bible.

I'm NOT saying he's a Devil worshiping Satanic Demon who eats puppies and babies for breakfast. I just don't know what to think here.

Gratuitous Picture for a Wednesday-

2012-01-24T19:59:00.003-05:00

Hmmmmm. Gonna Have to Start Looking for a New Blog Setup.............
I'm open for suggestions after reading this-

Google announces privacy changes across products; users can’t opt out.
"Google said Tuesday it will follow the activities of users across e-mail, search, YouTube and other services, a shift in strategy that is expected to invite greater scrutiny of its privacy and competitive practices.

The information will enable Google to develop a fuller picture of how people use its growing empire of Web sites. Consumers will have no choice but to accept the changes."

I am not overly paranoid about this sort of thing, but Google is an evil bunch of MutherHumpers and I don't trust or like the pricks any at all.

Fortunately, I don't use much Google things now- Except Blogger. So that's gonna have to change.
No clue what I should be looking into.

Like Tom Waits says- "Open for suggestions"

Yep, any advice on easy and efficient software to make it more difficult for the Pricks to follow my activities would likewise be appreciated.

Howzabout 1 more from Tom Waits?

Gratuitous Picture for a Tuesday Evening-

2012-01-24T18:30:00.004-05:00

Belated Birthday Wishes for Saint John...............

Seems I missed noting that yesterday was the birthday of John Moses Browning. The finest firearms builder ever.

He left this mortal coil and moved on to the Gun Hand of God in 1926, leaving a legacy that continues today.

The The Gospel According To John (Moses Browning)

Gratuitous Picture for a Tuesday Evening-

2012-01-23T17:44:00.003-05:00

Fine Sentiment From a Fellow Hoosier................
And an Alaskan for emphasis.

Walter Zoomie busts loose with a beautiful response to some certain visitors at his place.

"Some of you might be saying, “Zoomie! You are old and delusional and full of shit. You talk like Billy Badass with your keyboard, but you will soil your knickers and comply when faced with reality. Go back to bed, old-timer. Your ranting is becoming ponderous.”

Who’s to say?

None of you motherfuckers know me or what I’m capable of."

Yep. Lots of folks thinking along the same lines lately.

Arctic Patriot had something to say about this the other day-

"Let's examine the earlier quote though...

"In the 62 cases reviewed, the subjects increasingly spoke out against the government, blamed the government for perceived problems and did so in a way that caught the attention of other people in their communities, according to the senior counterterrorism official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private White House event."

I fail to see anything at all wrong with the activities described here. That’s American tradition, you pukes! Americans have always resented and opposed government expansion. It is only in recent years that they do not oppose it violently, en masse.

Readers should take note: This is a de facto admission that it is natural US citizens, not Jihadis, who are the targets of federal “counter-terrorism” efforts…"

Do tell.
Nothing good can possibly come from all this.

Gratuitous Picture for a Monday Afternoon-
This is for RichT

2012-01-21T12:09:00.002-05:00

The Self Fulfilling Prophecy..................
The Futures So Bright, I Gotta Wear Kevlar.

Craig at Keep it Simple had a post yesterday where he said, "Yes folks, I am officially a big scary boogey man, who will likely blow up your neighborhood grocery store, go on a shooting rampage at the mall, and use little children and kittens for target practice…"

Like a lot of us, He realized he's made the cut and joined the growing ranks of Citizens our Government considers to be, Violent Extremists or, at best, Potential Domestic Terrorists.

Now Craig was making the funny of course, because he knows he's been labeled as such for a long time and this is not a new development.
Hell, The list of who they think is a threat includes at least 50% of the population. Here's a nice link Full of Examples for Ya. Easier than me trying to write it all out and a hell of a lot quicker too.

The reality is that there are 2 types of people in this world today.

*Folks who want to be left alone and
*Folks who won't leave them alone and want control over every fucking thing.

Pretty simple really.
Which brings me around to the title of this post- The Self Fulfilling Prophecy.
In case you never took Psych 101 or need a refresher, here's the Wiki on it.

"The self-fulfilling prophecy is, in the beginning, a false definition of the situation evoking a new behaviour which makes the original false conception come 'true'. This specious validity of the self-fulfilling prophecy perpetuates a reign of error. For the prophet will cite the actual course of events as proof that he was right from the very beginning."

It's a good, easy to understand concept that, given what the Powers That Be Think of us already, makes me realize - We're Screwed.

Even if no one who fits any of the categories the Government thinks are Potential Threats, ever does a damn thing illegal, it won't matter. They are gonna keep squeezing us - because they can and feel that they have to.
OR-
They are gonna keep pissing enough people off that somebody slips a gear and decides, "WTF. They ALREADY think I'm a Terrorist. May as well make the best of it!"
Obviously, there's other things out there that can/could happen, but I kinda see it following one of these lines.

Hell, Folks have already flown airplanes into IRS offices.

So where's that leave us, the folks that just want to be left alone?
Like I said before, Screwed.
I hate to be a defeatist here, but that's just the way it is. There's no avoiding it.
As the economy slips more and the "Free Shit Army" sees their meal ticket pulling out, well, that's only gonna move things forward faster.

OK! Glad I could cheer ya up on a Saturday Afternoon.

Gratuitous Picture for a Saturday-

2012-01-20T15:12:00.002-05:00

Weird Medical News.................
I don't know if this guy is lucky or was it bad luck that they BOTH crumped on him ??

Man with two hearts survives double heart attack

"Doctors managed to save the life of a 71-year-old man with two hearts who suffered dueling heart attacks. "We haven't ever seen anything similar to this case before," Dr. Giacomo Mugnai said in an interview with MSNBC."

Interesting story.

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday-

2012-01-20T15:02:00.002-05:00

Friday Ear Worm.................
I woke up with this song in my head and it's been stuck there all day.
Could be worse that's for sure. At least it's a good song that I do like.

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday Afternoon-

2012-01-20T12:24:00.002-05:00

Web Went Dark Here...............
Just came back up.
Been down since last night.

I have to go and piss in a bottle for a 2nd job I'm taking.

Pee Ya Later!

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday Afternoon-
Drink Up, Shriner!!

2012-01-19T20:27:00.003-05:00

Interesting Observation....................

Why U.S. Gun Sales Are Shooting For The Moon
"If James Anthony Bailey and P.T. Barnum had seen the Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show) they just might have conceded their “Greatest Show on Earth” needed more guns, sideshows and characters. Because come one, come all, the SHOT Show has no comparison on Earth and, in fact, is especially interesting this year because gun sales are breaking records."

The author never really gives a definitive answer as to just WHY firearm sales continue to soar.
He makes some good observations, but I think a lot of it is in response to folks like this-
“Free speech is not a special right."
“Free speech is not a special right,” Brison said. “There is no sound philosophical basis for giving such a right a priority when it comes in conflict with other values, such as the right to equality.”

Susan Brison is a college Professor and supposed to be a legal scholar of some kind. More and more folks are noticing that, more and more people like Ms Brison are Less and Less shy about voicing those sorts of opinions. Ms Brison is by no means a unique snowflake in her anti-Constitutional viewpoint. You really need to look no further than the White House for another, better known, Constitutional Scholar who seems to think along the same lines.

People are seeing more and more over the top enforcement of chicken shit laws and regulations too.

Like this one-
Another one in the net
".....when killer whales attacked a pod of grey whales and killed a calf. Its blubber floated to the surface, and the killer whales were about to feed on it. Seizing this opportunity to film their behaviour, Ms Black threaded ropes through some pieces of blubber, then lowered a camera underwater.

For this, Ms Black might now face up to 20 years in prison and half a million dollars in fines, after a federal grand jury indicted her this month."

Really? 20 years and a half a Million in fines??
WTF is wrong with these people?
H/t to fellow Hoosier Scumfuck Living in Babylon......

People are seeing that there's something seriously wrong with this country.
Victor Davis Hanson calls it - Civilization in Reverse
"The average Californian, like the average Greek, forgot that civilization is fragile. Its continuance requires respect for the law, tough-minded education, collective thrift, private investment, individual self-reliance, and common codes of behavior and civility -- and exempts no one from those rules. Such knowledge and patterns of civilized behavior, slowly accrued over centuries, can be lost in a single generation."

These items here are just from today's news. Everyday there's more. People are noticing and being proactive.
Maybe that's why firearms sales continue so briskly.

Gratuitous Picture for a Thursday-

2012-01-19T20:19:00.003-05:00

Quote of the Day.......................
"Americans are not revolting against the Federal government and we are not planning a revolution against the Federal Government of The United States of America.
The Federal government revolted against us."

From a very fine rant via-
Lone Star Watchdog.

H/T to Kerodin

Gratuitous Picture for a Thursday Evening-

2012-01-19T17:20:00.003-05:00

More Garden Thinking and Combat Garden Gnomes.............
Courtesy of Dave in the comments on the last post, he provides a link to an accoutrement all gardens can use, Combat Garden Gnomes.

Those Gnomes are super cool, but a bit to pricey for me. Cool none the less. Thanks Dave!

I took a few minutes to find a few old posts that may be of help if you're thinking of starting a garden this year.

It's probably best to read them in order, but not mandatory.
First

Second

Third

I realized just how disorganized Blogger gets things when you use the search function so I just dug 'em up and put 'em in order for ya.
Yeah, I'm a giver like that.
I should have been labeling posts from the get-go. Live and learn I suppose.

And just to prove how screwed up our Government is, check this out-
Walnuts Are Drugs, Says FDA
"Seen any walnuts in your medicine cabinet lately? According to the Food and Drug Administration, that is precisely where you should find them. Because Diamond Foods made truthful claims about the health benefits of consuming walnuts that the FDA didn’t approve, it sent the company a letter declaring, “Your walnut products are drugs” — and “new drugs” at that — and, therefore, “they may not legally be marketed … in the United States without an approved new drug application.” The agency even threatened Diamond with “seizure” if it failed to comply."

Seriously, these fools need a good swift kick in the nutsack.

Gratuitous Picture for a Thursday Evening-

2012-01-18T19:29:00.004-05:00

Time to Start Thinking About The Garden.............
Yeah, I know it's cold outside and all that, but now is a good time to begin getting organized.

You DON'T want to end up like I did last year when I didn't Start My Own Tomato Seeds and bought plants that turned out to be nothing like what I wanted.

So I've been looking over seed catalogs for the last couple of weeks and getting an order together.

I really don't need a whole lot, as I save a lot of my own seed and have two 5 gallon buckets (w/ Gamma Seal Lids) full of seed in the closet of my "Man Room" now. Mainly need Green Beans and I'll order 2-3 times what I need so I have plenty in reserve.

Most Vegetable seeds will stay viable for years if kept properly. There are exceptions to that of course, Onions being a prime example. But if stored in a stable temperature and humidity environment you should have no problems.

I found a bunch of old coffee cans full of seed out in the barn a few years ago. Most of those seeds were 8-12 years old and the barn is neither temperature or humidity stable. I germinated a bunch of corn, beans, melon, tomato and peppers and was amazed how many of them were still viable. Some better than others, but it was surprising that any of them sprouted at all.
Keep 'em in a good place and they'll be good for a long time.
And learn to start Saving Your Own Seed Too. The Web is full of info on this and other Gardening stuff. Use it.

You can look into some posts here That May Be of Help.
Here's a couple more.

Here's a few Links to interesting Garden/Farm stuff you may find helpful or entertaining-

Gene Logsdon the Contrary Farmer. I love this guy and I must own at least 15 of his books on different subjects. For Gardeners, I recommend The Contrary Farmer's Invitation to Gardening. There are a couple of free books available at his website and a lot of good articles.

Acres USA. Lots of good stuff.

Backwoods Home Magazine I've had a subscription here for years and it's the one magazine I will not do without. The web site has a HUGE archive section on many topics and anything by Jackie Clay is worth reading.

National Sustainable Ag Project. I used to get a ton of info from these folks on a lot of different topics.

That will give ya a bit to think about for now.
Despite what Government says about we not having any inflation, food prices keep going up. A garden is a good way to help with that.
Storing and Saving what you grow is another aspect of Gardening that you will want to look into eventually too.
Just makes sense and gives you a nice feeling when you see a pantry full of stuff from your own garden.

So start figuring what you want this year and get with it now. It'll be seed starting time before long so get 'em ordered now and then look into where and how you're gonna start 'em in the house.
If you don't have a garden now, start thinking about where you can put one, how much space you have available and all that.
It takes some work getting a new garden going so plan accordingly.

I firmly believe that everything you do now to reduce your dependence on others is a good thing and the sooner you get started the better.
I'll be hitting the Garden issue and overall preparedness a lot this year as I think it's gonna be important to more folks as the economy continues to sink along with the purchasing power of our dollar.

Suggestions, questions, comments, etc are welcome.

Gratuitous Picture for a Wednesday Evening-

2012-01-17T13:08:00.003-05:00

Like We Say in the ER, Darwin Rules....................

Roger at C&S links to a story out of Dallas of crime going awry.
follow the link, the pictures make it plain that crime does not always pay. Bolt cutters + live high voltage copper wire................. Should have stayed in school, fellas.

He also has a video (2 actually if you follow the link in the story) about the Religion of Peace
The first video is extremely violent so if you're the faint of heart type, skip it and go to the second.

OK, enough cribbing of Roger's content for one day.

Gratuitous Picture for a Tuesday-

2012-01-16T18:44:00.003-05:00

More Monday Medical News..................
From X Ray Dept.

In the Kinder, Gentler and More Sensitive world of Health Care these days, everyone is concerned with Feelings.
Maybe your Doctor won't just come right out and tell you that you're a Fat Ass Whale, but you can pretty well be sure he's thinking it if he Sends Your Big Ass to the Zoo for a CT Scan.

"NHS hospitals have resorted to asking zoos and vets to scan patients who are too obese to fit into hospital scanners.

The bizarre requests to use CT scanners, normally intended for four-legged animals, at the UK’s leading veterinary college in north London were revealed as hospitals face pressure to adapt beds and wards for an increasingly obese population."

And do you have any idea how difficult and even dangerous it is for folks who have to move people around when they get this big?
It's a no win situation for everyone.

In Other X Ray Related News-

DHS' X-ray scanners could be cancer risk to border crossers
"Internal Homeland Security documents describing specifications for border-crossing scanners, which emit gamma or X-ray radiation to probe vehicles and their occupants, are raising new health and privacy concerns, CNET has learned."

Read the whole thing and marvel again at how much Big Brother loves you.
Hyman G. Rickover would be having a fit about this.
Someone should.

Gratuitous Picture for a Monday Evening-

2012-01-16T12:03:00.004-05:00

Monday Medical News......................
Some Good.
Some Bad.
Some Ugly.

Let's start with the Good-
10 Surprising Health Benefits of Beer
"Beer drinkers rejoice: Your favorite brew may be healthier than you think.

For years, wine drinkers have indulged without guilt, reveling in the news that red wine can help protect against heart disease. Recent research shows that beer can also be good for what ails you, from reducing risk for broken bones to helping warding off diabetes and mental decline. It can even increase longevity, a large study suggests."

Moderation is the key here.
That's ok with me as I have no desire to return to the drunkenness of my youth.

Now for the Bad-
Totally drug-resistant TB emerges in India
"Physicians in India have identified a form of incurable tuberculosis there, raising further concerns over increasing drug resistance to the disease1. Although reports call this latest form a “new entity”, researchers suggest that it is instead another development in a long-standing problem."

Very interesting article that one. Shit like this scares the hell out of me, because you know it's only a matter of time till that shit shows up here.
I think about crap like this every time one of the illegals coughs in my face as it is. I don't want TB that's treatable, let alone TB that ain't.

Now for the Ugly.
Actually, this is more than just ugly. This is just friggin stupid as hell and it makes me wonder WTF these guys were thinking about in the first place.
Seriously, why would anyone even dick around with this sort of shit?

Apocalypse Now: Life Imitates Bad Science Fiction
"The plot is familiar to all readers of science fiction and horror. A mad scientist - or the U.S. military - creates a deadly virus that can destroy a substantial portion of the world's population. The bug is released, accidentally or purposefully, and the few survivors face life in a post-apocalyptic world.

Life, it seems, imitates art - or at least bad science fiction."

I heard about this research awhile back and wondered then, WTF are these assholes doing this for?
Read the article and you'll REALLY wonder about things.

All I can think about this is, "Captain Trips" meets the streets.

H/T to Doug Ross for bringing this to my attention.

Gratuitous Picture for a Monday-

2012-01-16T01:36:00.003-05:00

Even at My Age...............
I still have a lot to learn.

I'm still a bit torqued from my workday at the ER and am unable to go to sleep. Not to say I don't want to do that. Just not ready yet.
Was having a last smoke of the day a few minutes ago at the front door and noticed the Moon rising up above the treeline East of here.

Damn. Seems a bit late to just now see the Moon coming up.

What I know about things Celestial is pitiful.

Makes me wonder if I will ever know all of what I wish to know about this world.
Probably not. But it's good that I still have questions I suppose.
I gotta believe that when you stop wondering, you stop living.

Night all.

Gratuitous Picture for a Early Monday Morning-

2012-01-15T23:40:00.002-05:00

Today's Triage Special...............
The Hygiene Deficient.

I'm sorry, but if your ass is so funky that I have to disinfect the chair you were sitting in just to clear the stink out of the air...... You Are A Nasty Bastard.
It's no damn wonder you don't feel good.
Take a Gott Damn Shower!!!

I can't even imagine what their fucking home/nest smells like. Nope. Don't want to find out either.
That was one of the specials today at the ER. Smelly Bastards.
That's a lifestyle choice I just do not understand.
There are people who live in shacks with dirt floors and no indoor plumbing around here. I could kinda understand if they have a hygiene problem. But the majority of these nasty FunkMasters are just to White Trash Lazy to clean their nasty asses before they go out in public.

Hate 'em. Just hate 'em.

Gratuitous Picture for a Late Sunday Night-

2012-01-13T19:31:00.003-05:00

Friday Night Global Warming.......................
Well, Winter finally decided it was time to come visit the "GrumpyUnk Command and Control Bunker".

We've got a little bit of snow and the temps are down in the teens tonight.
Brrrr.
YerUnk has the wood burner stoked up and it's feeling pretty nice unless you're at the far ends of the house.
The nicest part is not hearing the furnace kick on! All that Lumber Jacking and wood splitting, etc is paying off now in not spinning the utility meter.

Thank the Lord for that.

I'm gonna go pull a chair up by that fire and read a book now. You all stay warm out there.
Here's a little Led Zep for ya to listen to-

Never get tired of the Zep.

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday Night-

Speaking of George Carlin-

2012-01-12T15:14:00.004-05:00

All Aboard The Outrage Train..............

It seems that folks are getting all upset with a recently released video of
Marines Pissing on Dead Taliban.

"The U.S. Marine Corps is launching an investigation into a video that recently surfaced online showing what appears to be several Marines in uniform urinating on corpses."

Sorry, but this just ain't moving the needle at all-

And how come people don't seem to get outraged when shit like this happens?

Just don't get it.

Gratuitous Picture for a Thursday Afternoon-

2012-01-12T13:21:00.003-05:00

John Prine is Right..................
It is a "Big Old Goofy World".

I've never claimed to be the sharpest tool in the shed and if you've been around here much, I'm pretty sure you've figured that out already.
Having made that disclaimer to Einstein Status, I see shit like this and just have to wonder, "WTF were they thinking and why continue to be Dicks about past bad behavior?"

Obama Administration Claims Immunity in 'Shameful' STD Study of Guatemalans-
"Guatemalan prostitutes, prisoners and mental patients who were intentionally exposed to sexually transmitted diseases, without their knowledge or consent, by U.S. researchers in the 1940s, cannot sue the United States argued the Obama Administration on Monday, no matter how shameful and unethical the studies were..."

And the very last paragraph has an interesting little fact-

"The U.S. has been involved in numerous other infamous medical studies on human subjects. The most notorious was the Tuskegee syphilis research on 600 black men in Alabama who were studied without being offered any treatment. The physician involved in that study, Dr. John Cutler, directed the Guatemalan research."
He must have been a real Pip of a Fellow, 'eh?

Until last night I had never heard of the Guatemalan studies. I had heard of the Tuskegee syphilis research before. If you haven't go check out the Wiki page.

That is some seriously ugly shit to do to people.
Yeah, I know it was a different world back then and times really have changed....... But Damn. that's some lowdown shit.
What I don't understand is why not just own up to it and do the right thing?
After all, this is the same Administration that spent the first year going around the world apologizing and bowing to everyone else for the sins of the Nation, right?

Maybe they ought to hit an AA Meeting and consider a few of the 12 Steps.

Here's a few that might be good for starters-

"Step 4 - Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves"

Step 8 - Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all

Step 9 - Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others"

Thank the Lord that the world has changed.
But remember these things the next time someone says, "Oh, but the government would NEVER do anything like that."

Doesn't matter what the topic they are talking about because - They already have a track record.

Gratuitous Picture for a Thursday Afternoon-

2012-01-11T12:33:00.005-05:00

I Don't Even Know What To Say..................
About this.

Federal court blocks Oklahoma ban on Sharia law -

"OKLAHOMA CITY – An amendment that would ban Oklahoma courts from considering international or Islamic law discriminates against religions and a Muslim community leader has the right to challenge its constitutionality, a federal appeals court said Tuesday.

The court in Denver upheld U.S. District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange's order blocking implementation of the amendment shortly after it was approved by 70 percent of Oklahoma voters in November 2010"

Suicide by Judge.

Only one thing just jumps out as an answer-

2012-01-10T21:03:00.002-05:00

Quote of the Day......................

“Based on our unique case, we discourage penile tattooing,” they wrote.

Never thought that advice would be all that necessary.

Story

Gratuitous Picture for a Tuesday Night-

2012-01-10T17:50:00.002-05:00

Interesting and Enlightening.............
Things around the web for ya to peruse and think about.

From the "His Lips Are Moving" File-

Someone has taken the time to compile this List of Lies from our Dear Leader. I haven't looked to closely at it, but it should be interesting.

I like this list from Doug Ross much better-
President Barrack Obama's Complete List of Historic Firsts (Updated)

Here's just the first 2 on the list-

"• First President to Preside Over a Cut to the Credit Rating of the United States Government

• First President to Violate the War Powers Act"
It gets even better.

And since we're on the subject of Rat Bastard Commies-

Yikes! Look who just endorsed Obama for 4 more years
"While noting he is disappointed with “some aspects” of the Obama administration’s domestic and foreign policy, Sam Webb, chairman of the Communist Party USA, threw his support behind Obama’s re-election bid."
My Old Man always told me that you're judged by the company you keep. Right again, Pops!
Thanks to Green Mountains Homesteading for that info. He's got a few suggestions and music for ya too!

There's some other stuff but I'm not sure I even want to talk about it as it pisses me off.
A lot.

Maybe later.

Gratuitous Picture for a Tuesday Evening-

2012-01-10T15:32:00.002-05:00

Tuesday Afternoon Around the Compound................

Trying to accomplish some cleanup around the "GrumpyUnk Command and Control Bunker" today. Seems like I keep going round in circles and spinning my wheels.

Bah.
My frustration threshold has gotten pretty low lately and damn if I didn't yank my back out again just moving some tools from the bench to the toolbox. I'm talking screwdrivers and such. Nothing heavy at all.
Bah Again. I gotta figure out a way to get my back in shape again without getting it screwed up in the process. I've been doing some light stretching the last hour or so to keep from going into full on lockup mode since I tweaked it. We'll see.

Sorry about the whining, but damn, this shit is getting old.

Gratuitous Picture for a Tuesday Afternoon-

2012-01-09T17:51:00.002-05:00

Can I Get a Big Round of Applause..............

For Craigslist?

Today the Wife found a nice freezer cheap! Just got home & got it off the truck and into the garage.

I'll go relieve my friend of all the Venison I have taking up space in his freezer tomorrow.
Yep, Craigslist can be a hell of a resource.

Gotta run.
My buddy, KidK is having a birthday party at his place.

Gratuitous Picture for a Monday Evening-

2012-01-06T21:11:00.003-05:00

A Little Night Music............

From Little Feat, "Waiting for Columbus"-

If you don't already have this album.
You should.

And what is likely to become my theme song here at the GrumpyUnk Command and Control Bunker -

I find myself singing this a lot.
Probably a bad sign.

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday Night-

Novel Concept.

2012-01-06T19:51:00.002-05:00

UFO on Google Maps??????????
Say Uncle brings this Extraterrestrial Alert-

Go Here and Look Up

Terrifying really.
Somewhere tonight, Richard Dryfus is making Mountains from Mashed Potatoes.

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday Night-
The BigBluePlasticMotorcycle 2007 trip.

2012-01-06T10:38:00.005-05:00

I'll Be Seeing You..........

"In all the old Unfamiler places"

"It may have looked like they were ready for war or some deranged person looking for his late Social Security benefits.

But it was only Federal Protective Service officers with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security who were conducting a random training operation early Tuesday morning when they surprisingly showed up at the Social Security Administration office in downtown Leesburg.

With their blue and white SUVs circled around the Main Street office, at least one official was posted on the door with a semiautomatic rifle, randomly checking identifications. And other officers, some with K-9s, sifted through the building..."

Yep. Just your Friendly Neighborhood VIPER Team on the job getting folks used to seeing State Security Agencies everywhere.

And they will be seeing you too.
Why 2012 is starting to look like 1984-
"Between SOPA, NDAA, telecommunications surveillance, and people's willingness to share endlessly via social networking, will 2012 mark the year consumers irreversibly surrender their privacy and freedoms?"

Just remember why they are there -

And they have been doing a bang up job of that for quite some time.
And they Don't Approve of you being aware of it.

"Excessive Force Is Dangerous — To View on YouTube" -

"Since Rodney King, we've been told that citizens with video cameras will deter excessive force by law enforcement. As video cameras have miniaturized until they're just one app on a smartphone, we're told the same thing, only more emphatically. Patrick highlighted the possibilities here years ago, though sounding a note of caution that a mechanism for reporting what you've taped to a powerful entity is as important as the recording itself.

But you really didn't think that it was going to be that easy, did you? "

There is no doubt that the role of, Peace Officer has been replaced by that of the, Law Enforcement Officer.

You may wish to read these articles by Radley Balko, the go to guy on this subject-

Overkill: The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America
No SWAT

I work with Cops every day and have a great relationship and friendship with many of them.
So don't think I'm being a hater of Cops in general here. Far from it.
But somethings wrong with this country and we better get a handle on it pretty soon.
Because the logical or the, at least to be expected reaction to this escalation of force against civilians for simple drug warrants is this-
6 cops shot, 1 dead serving search warrant in Utah

Like it or not.
Whether you agree with it or not.
That's where this is headed.
I think the Botched Raid and Murder of Jose Guerena earlier this year may have been the turning point for some folks.
Don't know this and just a guess on my part. But I fully expect to see more reaction from citizens to excessive violence. Maybe not like this case, but reacting none the less.

Edit to add-
Like I said earlier here's an example of the response of, "Camera Shy" cops being reported around the web today-

Also today - No Warrant Needed for GPS Monitoring, Judge Rules
"A Missouri federal judge ruled the FBI did not need a warrant to secretly attach a GPS monitoring device to a suspect’s car to track his public movements for two months."

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday Morning-

2012-01-05T21:21:00.005-05:00

Forgot About This One............

MSgt B has a good Golden Earring video up that I was checking out earlier and like it always goes at YouTube, I ended up on a nostalgia trip.
Saw this song listed and had a"Whoa Dude" moment. I hadn't thought of that group or song in years.

There was a radio DJ named Dex Card who, I just found this out a few minutes ago, had a series of "Teen Clubs called, "The Wild Goose" around the Chicago area back in the 1960's and 70's.

The only one I ever knew of was in Schererville, Indiana. Lots of good bands such as, Ted Nugent, Bob Seeger, The Cryin Shames, The Box Tops and even Alice Cooper played there.
It was a lot of fun for a high school kid to go and hear music.

Mason Profit was a Chicago based band that came through there pretty regular.
Good band with a good stage presence.
Seeing that video, prompted, a Mister Peabody" moment and Sherman transported me back to about 1969 or so via "The Wayback Machine".

And for those young ones out there, here's Mr Peabody and Sherman-

Yep, pretty cheesy.

And not to be confused with the Mister Peabody in this song. Note the WJJD radio station. We heard that at my house, too-

Gratuitous Picture for a Thursday Evening-

2012-01-04T20:27:00.004-05:00

Just One More Reason..........
Why I hate most everyone.

Rare bird shot, killed

"The death of a rare and endangered whooping crane Friday in southeastern Jackson County left the person investigating its death with few words to describe the event.

“It just makes me sick to my stomach,” Indiana Conservation Officer Phil Nale said Friday night from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.

The 5-year-old male whooping crane, found shot to death in a field, was one of just 104 that migrate through the Jackson County flyway each year.

“There’s less than 500 of them in the U.S.,” Nale said.

The United States is the only country in the world with whooping cranes, Nale said..."

I mean really, why the hell would you shoot a Whooping Crane???
These FuckTards just amaze me.

I saw, what may have been this bird, a day or two before Christmas in a bottom land area not to far from here.

There were at least 3000 Sand Hill Cranes in the same area so I guess it just proves that looking different ain't always a good thing.
Damn! This sorta needless stupidity just grates on me sometimes. If they had taken it home to eat I may have understood it.
But no.
They just shot the SOB and left it lay.

Do Whooping Cranes have any big import in the big picture of things or whether or not there are ANY Whooping Cranes at all really matter?
No, not really. But sometimes a unique and beautiful creature should be admired just for what it is and not destroyed for no good reason.

I hope the FuckTard who did this gets testicular cancer.
Before he sows any seed.

Gratuitous Picture for a Wednesday Evening-

2012-01-04T18:30:00.003-05:00

Was That a Freudian Slip.............
Or are you just happy to see me??

I totally missed it, but Kerodin didn't-

“I refuse to take ‘No’ for an answer. I’ve said before that I will continue to look for every opportunity to work with Congress to move this country forward. But when Congress refuses to act in a way that hurts our economy and puts people at risk, I have an obligation as president to do what I can without them,” according to the prepared remarks.

President Obama today regarding the non-recess recess appointment. Also, look at that sentence structure - Freudian? "When Congress refuses to act in a way that hurts our economy..."

And of course, this remark refers to ANOTHER Obama Dodge on the separation of powers He's getting so good at.

And since we're speaking of parasites...........

Paco has an interesting link today to a subject near and dear to me.
Colony Collapse Disorder.
Parasitic Flies??
The zombie honeybee apocalypse.
"A heap of dead bees was supposed to become food for a newly captured praying mantis. Instead, the pile ended up revealing a previously unrecognized suspect in colony collapse disorder a mysterious condition that for several years has been causing declines in U.S. honeybee populations,....."

Very interesting story.

More Science News -

Health Story of the Year: Salt Vindicated-
“The vindication of salt is probably the biggest health and nutrition story of the last year,” says Lori Roman, president of the Salt Institute. “Everyone knows salt tastes good, but the latest research published in leading medical journals confirms that salt is good for you, too. The medical studies underline what we have been saying for years: science is on salt’s side.”

I'm wondering how long the science has been "Settled" on this issue??
Somehow, I'm willing to bet these guys will be willing to share their data with others.

Just saying.

Gratuitous Picture for a Wednesday Evening-

2012-01-03T14:16:00.003-05:00

Bill Hicks on Waco.................

Almost 19 years later-

And do you really think it's gotten any better since then?

Gratuitous Picture for a Tuesday Afternoon-

2012-01-02T21:40:00.003-05:00

Why I Don't Like Year End "Best Of" Lists..........

They are friggin' worthless. All the lists in all the categories are nothing but subjective responses of the writers themselves.

David Codrea points this out and says it better than I can right here-
AP ‘top 10’ list confirms media still ignoring Fast and Furious story
"Officials of the United States government allowed guns to be smuggled across international borders into a sovereign neighboring country—where they were received by murderous cartels, and which resulted in the deaths of American law enforcement officers and untold numbers of Mexican (and U.S.?) citizens—all the while leaving the Mexican government in the dark and stonewalling numerous Congressional inquiries to prevent exposing how high up in the administration approval and direction came from—and that does not make the top 10?"

It's a daily annoyance that we have to slog through the Bias and Bullshit of any reportage by the MSM anymore and it gets frustrating for sure. But I'd like the think that MOST people are smart enough to recognize Bullshit when they see it. (Yeah, I know, wishful thinking).

But Codrea points out something that I've been bitching about for a long time. The real power of the MSM isn't what they report about. No matter how they try to spin it.

The real power of the MSM is in what they DON'T report.

I have both of Codrea's sites linked here over on the right sidebar ---------->

The War on Guns, his Blogspot place with daily info and "Only Ones" updates.
If you don't know the originator of "The Only Ones", meet, Lee Paige -

Ya gotta admit he is one tough SOB. Shot himself and kept on going.

The daily, Gun Rights Examiner column is his other site.
And that's the one I want to tell ya about here.

Codrea was one of 2 folks who were behind the "Fast and Furious" scandal story ever breaking at all. He and Sipsey Street Irregulars broke this story and got the ball rolling as far as it has so far.
Codrea gets paid for views of the Gun Rights Examiner site.

So what am I trying to tell ya here?
Do yourself a favor and check in there everyday.
Why?
Because it'll make you Smarter, Sexier and The Life of the Party! That's why.

PLUS, it'll help support a much needed voice and a good guy who's on top of important things that effect you and your Country.

OK! I hope all of Y'all do that everyday. All 3 or 4 of that read this place anyway.
But even if it's only 3 or 4, every bit helps and it only takes a minute of your time.
If you have a website, Link it too.

Thanks Kids. I appreciate it.

Gratuitous Picture for a Monday Evening-

2012-01-01T16:29:00.002-05:00

And the Wheels on the Meter............

Go round and round!
Just took a look at the SiteMeter and did a, WTF?

Seems that I got a link from Doug Ross yesterday.

That was darn nice of him and thanks for stopping by, Folks.

Gratuitous Picture for a Sunday-

2012-01-01T14:08:00.003-05:00

New Years Eve and NO Drunks in the ER???????????????

Damn!
Maybe there is something to that Mayan calendar/End of the world thing.

I've worked New Years Eve for a lot of years and there's always a couple of drunk assholes that find there way in.
Either via the Police, EMS or, my personal favorite, The Concerned Friends - "She's got Alcohol Poisoning!"

There is the occasional real tragedy, as where Mr -"I Drive Better When I'm Drunk", wraps his car around a tree killing his wife while not having a scratch on his ass.

What do ya say to that guy when when starts sobering up and asking where his wife is?
Believe me, you DON'T say what you're really thinking.

Nope. Not a single alcohol related visit to the ER last night.
Just the usual collection of coughs, colds, kids with a fever, the fell down went boom cases, Fat Chicks who don't have a date for New Years Eve, Pain Clinic Patients who have "Mysteriously" run out of pain meds at the end of the month during the holidays and Nursing Home turf jobs of septic Grannies that should have been seen 4-5 days ago when they were just marginally ill.

The absence of at least one Loud Obnoxious Drunk had me looking over my shoulder all night expecting EMS to hit us with a Mass Casualty of some sort.

I am a faithful follower and believer in both Darwin and Murphy's Law.

Which of course means - Tonight is Gonna Suck Ass.
Huge.

Here's hoping I'm wrong.

Happy New Year to all Y'all out there!

Gratuitous Picture for a Sunday Afternoon-

2011-12-30T22:12:00.006-05:00

Maybe My Paranoia Ain't So Paranoid After All............

Via Blue's Blog comes this -

How the feds are tracking your kid

"Would it bother you to know that the federal Centers for Disease Control had been shown your daughter’s health records to see how she responded to an STD/teen-pregnancy-prevention program? How about if the federal Department of Education and Department of Labor scrutinized your son’s academic performance to see if he should be “encouraged” to leave high school early to learn a trade? Would you think the government was intruding on your territory as a parent?

Under regulations the Obama Department of Education released this month, these scenarios could become reality. The department has taken a giant step toward creating a de facto national student database that will track students by their personal information from preschool through career. Although current federal law prohibits this, the department decided to ignore Congress and, in effect, rewrite the law. Student privacy and parental authority will suffer."

Damn! What is it with these Sonz-a-bitches that they feel the need to track, regulate, monitor and control every single part of our lives??

Don't bother answering. That was a rhetorical question.
I know damn well why.

Orwell was right.
But............

Damn if it doesn't seem like we hear of another government agency monitoring us daily!
This is not gonna end well, Kids.

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday Night-

2011-12-30T19:54:00.004-05:00

Genius. That's All Ya Can Say..............
About this-

George Washington writes a letter to President Obama

"Imagine my consternation then, Sir, when I look upon our Orchard today, and see the fruit withering on the branch, the crowns blighted, and the whole cloaked in the gauzy shrouds of assiduously destructive bagworms. How slothful and inattentive have become the arborists who constitute what my friend Thomas Jefferson referred to as our natural aristoi! What bovine complacency has afflicted a once alert and industrious citizenry!"

Oh Sweet Jeebers, it would be nice to have the talent to write stuff like that.
As they say, go read the whole thing.
It's short and pretty much guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

Edit to add- After reading through a few pages of this place I believe I'm gonna have to add Paco to the links.

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday Night-
I know this one has been used before, but damn. It still makes me laugh.

2011-12-30T19:40:00.002-05:00

A Little Civil War History For Ya..........
Here's an interesting little article on a part of the Civil War that I had not known about before.

Civil Warfare in St. Louis
"By Adam Goodheart

In the early months of 1861—as the Confederate flag unfurled above Fort Sumter, as bands played and newly formed regiments paraded in towns and cities throughout the North and the South—two civilians sat disconsolately at the sidelines of the Civil War.

One had recently taken a desk job running a horse-drawn trolley line. He spent most of his days pushing papers, trying his hardest to concentrate on the minutiae of fare revenues and fodder costs, in an office permeated with pungent aromas from the company’s adjacent stables. The other man was a down-at-the-heels, small-town shop clerk who had come to the city in search of an officer’s commission. He camped out at his in-laws’ house, trudging around the city each day, fruitlessly trying to attract the attention of the local military authorities.

The trolley-car executive was named William Tecumseh Sherman. The luckless clerk was Ulysses S. Grant. Both—as unknown to one other, probably, as each was to the nation—had found themselves in St. Louis.

It was not yet Grant’s or Sherman’s Civil War in the spring of 1861......"

"Adam Goodheart is the author of 1861:The Civil War Awakening, forthcoming in April, from which this article is adapted."

Very good read & I would like to read the book when it comes out.
If you are interested in Civil War stuff, you'll like this.

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday Night-

2011-12-30T02:17:00.005-05:00

After Sleeping for 30 of the Last 48 Hours..........
Who would have thought I may have insomnia now?
At least I'm feeling better now so I must have needed that sleep.

Since I'm awake I may as well share a few things with ya that I've been reading tonight.

From the, Take the Money and Run Department-
DC ordered to pay $1M in historic gun case
"The District of Columbia has been ordered to pay more than $1 million in attorneys' fees as a result of a historic gun case that was ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dick Heller sued the city in 2003 over its ban on handgun ownership and the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the ban in June 2008, saying it violated the Second Amendment.

A federal judge on Thursday issued an opinion awarding Heller's attorneys $1,137,072.27 in fees and expenses. The attorneys had argued they should be awarded $3.1 million. Attorneys for the city said the figure should be closer to $840,000."
DC Residents should make the officials who were responsible for this case going all the way to the Supreme Court pony up that money from their own pockets. Now THAT would be justice.

So How's that, "Hope & Change" working out for ya? -
It’s the Math, Stupid!: Seven Devastating Facts About 2012
"As we enter 2012, the presidential candidates would do well to wrap their minds and messages around these seven mathematical facts:

1. Every day, the U.S. government takes in $6 billion and spends $10 billion. This means that every day the federal government spends $4 billion more dollars than it has...."

SOMEBODY ought to be thinking of this shit! Admitting that you have a problem is the first step to recovery, right?
Obama wants to spend even more money that we don't have and the Repubs are to spineless to even consider doing anything meaningful about this.
We are so Boned if we don't reign spending in.

The Silicon Graybeard has some Disturbing Thoughts on This and Makes a Historical Comparison that we may be Boned anyway-
How John Corzine Could Be Archduke Ferdinand
"The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand was, by everything I've read, not regarded as an important event beyond the immediate area. A minor incident in history except for being widely recognized as the trigger that led to World War I - recognized in hindsight, I might add."

It seems that the rule of law just keeps being ignored in DC if you're connected right.
He links to a Gerald Celente piece that further explains the possibilities of this and how he was robbed in the MF Global bankruptcy.
Interesting stuff. Celente is a sharp guy and has been spot on with forecasting economic things for a long time.
It doesn't look promising. I doubt that anything CAN be done about this mess anymore until the bottom falls out and they have to address the problems.

And a Little Paranoia For Ya to Think About-

Government Total Recall On Past Communications
"UCLA electrical engineering prof John Villaseno thinks the growing capacity of computers to collect, store, and analyze data will enable governments to assess, track, and draw connections between dissidents on a scale previously not seen. Thanks Lou Pagnucco who, no doubt, will be tracked by multiple governments as a result of this sentence I've written to thank him.

These regimes will store every phone call, instant message, email, social media interaction, text message, movements of people and vehicles and public surveillance video and mine it at their leisure, according to "Recording Everything: Digital Storage as an Enabler of Authoritarian Government," written by John Villaseno, a senior fellow at Brookings and a professor of electrical engineering at UCLA."

I'm gonna need more Tinfoil. That's all there is to it.
The Good News? Here's some Plans for making your own- Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie.
Don't forget, Shiny Side Out, Kids!

I'll Wrap This Up With the Always Thoughtful Victor Davis Hanson

America’s Two-Front War-

"America Has the Slows

Sometime about mid-2009 America began changing psychologically. True, to the naked eye, America retained the old hustle and bustle, but in an insidious fashion it began to think a bit differently. And that change in mentality explains in part why a year-and-a-half recession that officially ended in summer 2009 seems never to have ended at all..."

Lots of stuff to digest there. I left out a bunch more, too.
All in all things just don't look rosy out there. Take heed and do what ya need to do to get yourself lined out as best ya can for what's coming.

Gratuitous Picture for a Early Friday Morning-

2011-12-29T16:17:00.002-05:00

Think I'm Gonna Make It...............
I seem to be getting over whatever type of Gut Bug hit me.
Nasty stuff whatever it was.

Actually went outdoors this afternoon. Had to fill the Firewood Box and it felt pretty good just being outside for a few minutes.
I have the Firewood topped off and the ash buckets emptied now so I'm good for a couple of days.

Like most men, I'm a big Crybaby when I get sick & thankfully, that doesn't happen all that often. I've spent most of the last 2 days asleep.
But that must have been what I needed as my back is feeling better and I'm not doubled over with stomach cramps.

Damn if I didn't miss out on ManCamp last night though and that doesn't make me happy.
Oh well, what's a guy to do? Sure wouldn't have been able to drink beer and eat venison with the boys.

None of them needs a case of whatever I have either. Not to mention that the cabin where ManCamp is held doesn't have an indoor toilet - or an outdoor one either. Unless you count the cornfield as "Restroom Facilities".
Nope, not a good idea as weird as my gut has been acting.

The good news is I'm feeling a lot better today.

Gratuitous Picture for a Thursday-

2011-12-27T15:33:00.001-05:00

Sick as Hell..............

Sudden onset of Gut Distress.
Great. Now my front AND back hurts.

Gratuitous Picture for a Tuesday-

2011-12-26T22:13:00.003-05:00

Bill Whittle Does It Again................
He really nails it in this one-

Yeah, I make no apologies for being a big fan of Bill Whittle.

Hope you all had a nice Christmas, got to see friends and families and all that. All the kids were here when I got home from work Christmas morning and it was nice to spend a little time with 'em before heading off to sleep.

Christmas always seems to have some big bummers come through the ER and this year was no exception.

Christmas Eve is a shitty time to discover that Grandma has a huge tumor in her head after she passes out at the family get together.
That's just gotta suck and put a damper on things.

Aggravated my sore back again last night dealing with a 300+ lb friken, Land Whale. Just when I was starting to feel batter. Bitch and refuses to even help when we try to pull her fat ass up in bed or roll her over on her side.
Nope, not because she couldn't. Just because she didn't have to and didn't feel like it.

Beer, Muscle Relaxers and a Heating Pad for the next few days. Maybe another trip to the ChiroCracker, too.

Hopefully I'll be ok for the upcoming, ManCamp this week.

Gratuitous Picture for a Monday Night-
Damn. There's that Bitch on the beach!

2011-12-24T11:21:00.004-05:00

Unusual Sighting Yesterday............
I'm not a Dedicated Bird Watcher by any means, but I spotted an, unknown to me, Raptor yesterday.

After about an hour of searching in my bird book and google, I'm pretty sure it was a
Mississippi Kite

It looked a bit more like an White Tailed Kite though.

"the White-tailed Kite is readily identified by its bright plumage and its habit of hovering while hunting for small mammals. "

It was indeed doing the, Hover thing and that's what made me notice it. It's not supposed to be around this area at all though according to the literature, so I doubt that's what it is.

Who Knows?
I've been watching for it again today with no luck so far.
Oh well. Beautiful bird whatever it was!

Gratuitous Picture for a Saturday-

And a bonus Tom Waits Christmas song-
H/T to MSgt B

2011-12-24T09:36:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday, "Mustang Sally"..............
This is my annual repost of my favorite Christmas gift ever.

Damn. That Kid is 12 years old now.

==================================
The Best Christmas Gift I Ever Got ...........

Wasn't even a gift intended for me, nor did I get to keep it. I know that doesn't make sense, so let me explain ...........

Christmas Eve 1999, I was working the day shift and it was a relatively slow morning so far. It was about 25 degrees out, snowing pretty hard and it looked like we were gonna get a white Christmas.

At about 8:15 that morning, a young fella comes strolling in the backdoor and tells me he needs a wheelchair for his wife, who he tells me is ready to deliver her baby. Cool. He's acting all cool and shit, so I scoop up a wheelchair and head out towards the back. I'm asking him all the stock questions as we go. Seems her water broke about 30 minutes ago. It's her second child and she hasn't had any contractions yet.

These are all good answers and he was right on 2 out of 3.

We go outside and I see a brand new shiny red Mustang GT parked at the curb with a young woman in the passenger seat. And that's when I also noted that she had - THE LOOK.

Uh Oh.

Now Dad was still not aware that things were not quite as he believed them to be at this point, but I started moving faster and paying less attention to him and more towards what I was seeing in the Mustang.

Sure as shit, when I got close, the young Mother looked out the open window at me and screamed - "The Baby's Coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I hauled ass over there and she's got both feet up on the dashboard grunting and puffing like Teddy Kennedy at a Sorority House Party. She tells me the baby's coming and I believe her at this point. Oh Crap!! My "Pucker Factor" hits Warp 9 and I send Dad running back to the ER for Backup.

The young Lady had on a pair of white sweat pants so I just pulled them out and ......... DAMN!!
The Kid's head is already out!!! I yanked her pants down, kinda up in this case, and was really wondering where my coworkers and Doctor were at this point.

Now she's in the front bucket seat of a little sportscar with her feet up on the dashboard. The ergonomics were not real good for delivering a Baby, so I'm fumbling like mad, trying to find the seat release to lay that seat back.

She's sweating and grunting. I'm sweating and scared as hell and trying to find that damn seat release, when all of a sudden I found it.

She was braced, with those feet on the dash, pushing like hell when I popped that seat release and ...... WHAM!! That seat flew back and that Kid came flying out of there like a shot!

Now, I'm a "Crosseyed Little FuckTard" or CELF, and have the hand/eye coordination of most Garden Slugs, but I made a one handed stab that would have made any Major League Shortstop proud and snatched that Kid up in midflight and then immediately went into brain lock.

Thank G-d, the brain lock only lasted a few seconds as that Kid was blue as a Smurf and not breathing. My brain re-engaged and I started rubbing the little shit, while keeping it's (I didn't know what the sex was yet) head point down to drain anything from it's mouth.

After what seemed like an eternity, that kid took a big ol' breath and then let out a very nice sounding cry. Mom and I started breathing again at that point too.

Finally, Suzie came out the back door with a cart and Dad was right behind her. Now remember, it was 25 degrees out and snowing hard and I'm holding this steaming little baby and trying to figure out what the hell to do next. I calmly screamed like a little school girl, "I GOT A DAMN BABY HERE!!!!!" I then had Dad take off his Greatful Dead, tie dye tee shirt and utilized it as a swaddling cloth.

The Doctor finally came sauntering out, taking his sweet ass time and Suzie about ran his ass over carrying the "Precipitous Delivery Package" out to the car.

So here I am holding this slimy little bundle in my bare hands and the first word out of Dumbass Doc's mouth is to ask me for a Bulb syringe so he can suction out the baby's mouth.

I politely replied that, "I would be happy to shit one out for you if you have a minute, but I really thought you may have thought to bring one with you. Asshole". He was not impressed with my answer. We clamped and cut the cord and Doc, Suzie and Dad took off inside with the Baby, leaving Mom and me still out in the car.

I looked at mom, and since she was a little bitty thing, I just reached in and snatched her ass up and tossed her on the cart. Her pants were still down around her ankles and her ass was hanging out in the wind, but I figured it was the thing to do at the time. She didn't seem to mind.

As I was wheeling her into the ER she asked me if it was a Boy or a Girl.

I had no clue. I had held the Baby face down the entire time and never even saw the business side of things.

Turned out it was a 6 lb 6 oz little Girl who had all her fingers and toes in order and she did just fine. Mom and Baby were moved up to the OB floor shortly afterward.

So that was the best Christmas gift I never got - 7 years ago today. I forget what they named her, but I wanted to call her "Mustang Sally".

But nobody asked me.
================================

Hope Y'all have a nice Christmas.

Gratuitous Picture for a Saturday-

2011-12-23T15:52:00.003-05:00

Just Another Day in Paradise...............
Here at the GrumpyUnk Command and Control Center.

Went to the ChiroCracker yesterday as my neck, shoulders and upper back are, in the words of my Brother, Chief, "Stiff as a Wedding Pecker".

This shit happens periodically for no good reason and I just hate it. The ChiroCracker doesn't seem to have helped a hell of a lot either which is unusual.
Oh well. Suck it up and drive on I guess. I've got a heating pad on it now and hopefully that'll help some.
This has been a problem ever since I Broke My Neck years ago.
Yeah, Shit Happens. Hard to complain when you're still able to walk around and all that so I try not to bitch to much about it.

Hope Y'all have a nice Christmas. I'll be working the night shift, but I'll still get to see the kids so it's all good.

Enjoy your family.
Here's a little Christmas Music for ya-

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday Afternoon-
Here's Phil Read making sure he gets to the Christmas Party on time.

2011-12-23T12:31:00.003-05:00

Blog Template Surgery.............
It seems the PayPal refused to pay the folks from JS-Kit/Echo for another years service of their commenting system.

It's a shitty setup and I don't care for it anyway, so it's no great loss. Except I'm gonna lose all of the comments you folks have made here over the years.
That don't make me happy.

Now, to try to uninstall this shit and return to the stock Blogger comment system. I found a guide from a tech guy and hopefully it'll work as easy as he says.
I always get a bit nervous dicking around with even the simplest of code, etc, as I have a regular Midas Touch for turning this sort of thing to shit by messing with it.

We'll see. So if this place goes dark you'll know why.

So I just say, "Merry Christmas" to all of Y'all now just in case.

Edit to Update- Well the switch worked ok. Buh Bye, all of the old comments.

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday-

2011-12-21T12:07:00.004-05:00

Info Dump.............
Here's a few links to interesting shit out there.

From the: Doesn't Matter if You Aren't Doing Anything Wrong, We're Gonna Make You a Criminal Anyway! File-
If a Cop Is Illegally Searching You, You Have to Take It.

"..and if they say you did something to deserve a beating, they will be believed by the courts.

Our old comrade Radley Balko does what he does best at The Agitator, chronicling how all-too-often citizens have no rights a policeman need respect when it comes to altercations:"

With the new laws passed recently that say you can be snatched up and detained on the whim of some government official, I guess this is what they will do BEFORE they haul yer ass off to the Camps.

"And I'm Proud to be an American. Where at least I know I'm free!" - Sorry Mr Greenwood. Not anymore.

In case you're living under a rock, here's Old Remus to succinctly explain some of those new laws-
Outrage of the Day-

"The lights are going out all over America. The House and Senate have passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, Sections 1031, 1032 and 1034 of which allow the arrest of U.S. citizens by the armed forces, without laying charges, without evidence or legal representation, with indefinite detention...."
Short and easy. Go read it the whole thing.

And for the Diversity Loving Crowd, here's something to think about -

“If any country refuses to allow the spread of Islam within its borders, we will wage jihad on that country.”

I don't know how anyone with the IQ greater than a Garden Slug couldn't know this already, but apparently they're out there.

Your Tax Dollars at Work!-
Dr. Coburn Releases New Report on Wasteful Government Spending in 2011: "Wastebook 2011"
"Examples of wasteful spending highlighted in “Wastebook 2011” include:

• $75,000 to promote awareness about the role Michigan plays in producing Christmas trees & poinsettias.

• $15.3 million for one of the infamous Bridges to Nowhere in Alaska.

• $113,227 for video game preservation center in New York.

• $550,000 for a documentary about how rock music contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

• $48,700 for 2nd annual Hawaii Chocolate Festival, to promote Hawaii’s chocolate industry.

• $350,000 to support an International Art Exhibition in Venice, Italy.

• $10 million for a remake of “Sesame Street” for Pakistan.

• $35 million allocated for political party conventions in 2012.

• $765,828 to subsidize “pancakes for yuppies” in the nation’s capital.

• $764,825 to study how college students use mobile devices for social networking."

As we bleed out economically, this is what they do with the money they don't really have?
We are so Boned.

And if you just need to get your mind off of some of this shit-
Factual TV - Jim Redman Documentary
I rented this last night. Way Good. YerUnk gives it 2 thumbs up!
Looks like they have some more videos that I will have to see.

Gratuitous Picture for a Wednesday-

2011-12-21T11:22:00.002-05:00

Sleep Cycle Reset..........
Bouncing back and forth between the night shift and regular life can be a bit difficult at times, but it's usually no big deal.

For some reason it's been difficult the last couple weeks to get my shit together. Don't know exactly why that is either, but it just has been.

Last night must have been where my brain and body agreed that it was time to get regulated. I slept for damn near 11 hours!
Wow! Since I only average about 6 hours, that's quite the accomplishment. I feel a hell of a lot better today for it too.

Gonna go get some work done around here while I have the energy.
Here's a video of some crazy bastard that I saw at The Feral Irishman's place-

I think I'd be wearing some gear if I were trying that.

Gratuitous Picture for a Wednesday-

2011-12-20T10:33:00.004-05:00

Not This Time.............
Saw the "News" that Jon Bon Jovi had died earlier this morning and did a, "Hmmmmmmmmmm. I think I fell for this BS when Nick Gage was reported to have fallen off a cliff in New Zealand or some shit a few years ago".

Seems that the, "Once Bitten. Twice Shy." attitude pays off.
Just another hoax-

Now, I'm not a real fan of, Bon Jovi, but this gives me an intro to tell ya the story of when I met him.

Any good excuse for Blog Fodder is a good one, yes?

I was touring with John "Cougar" Mellencamp for a couple of years back about 10 years ago and got to meet, Mr Bon Jovi.

It was about a week prior to the 9-11 attacks and the band was playing in New Jersey. Like always, I was hanging around backstage keeping an eye on Jay (see the link above for background)when this long tall guy wearing a cowboy hat walked by and ducked into the office to see, Rocky.

Rocky was the Head Honcho and pretty much ran all the day to day stuff on the tour. It seems that Rocky had been, Jon Bon Jovi's tour manager and close friend for a lot of years and they were still good friends.

Rocky was running the sound board and only had a few moments to spend with him so he brought Bon Jovi over to where, Jay and I were standing, introduced us and hauled ass back to the sound board.

Here's the good news.

Jon Bon Jovi is a really nice guy. No kinda, "I'm a BIG ROCK STAR!1!1!!!" attitude at all.
Friendly as hell and engaging & he seemed to be genuinely interested in talking to Jay and I. We shot the shit for 10-15 minutes and it was a pretty interesting conversation.

Not like a lot of celebrities I met on those tours.

I could see he was paying attention to the stage the whole time so he could go out and do a song with, Mellencamp, but he never acted like it was a bother for him to hang with us.

All in all, he seemed like a right decent guy, so when I saw the fake news this morning I was hoping it was a hoax.
And I'm glad it was.

Guess we have to have an obligatory video here, 'eh?
Jeebers, check out the hair!

And since "Once Bitten. Twice Shy." was mentioned here earlier, so-

I met, Ian Hunter backstage at a Texas show, too. Another real nice guy. We sat, drank coffee and shot the shit for damn near an hour. Refreshing change from some of the other Shitheads I met. (I'm looking at you Dave Matthews.)
Oh hell, since I got off on an Ian Hunter thread, here's another song of his-

I better quit now or there's no telling where this could lead to.

Gratuitous Picture for a Tuesday Morning-

2011-12-19T22:37:00.005-05:00

Motorcycle Monday...............
Slept late today after working the night shift the last couple of days. While checking the email, I saw saw this video from Motorcycle Classics Magazine-
Dave Roper at the Isle of Man on a '67 Bennelli 350. This is some sweet shit right here.
(Note how the tach revs backwards)

There are 2 parts. Watch 'em both.
Roper is a stud and the only American to win at the Isle of Man. Check out this ride on a G50 Matchless with commentary during the trip around the island. He just sounds like he's driving down to the store for milk or something-
Part 1 -

Roper rode for Team Obsolete for a long time. Really don't know if he still does or not. Judging from his website, it doesn't sound like it.
Team obsolete has a fantastic stable of old bikes. Check out that link.
I've seen a bunch of them at different events and saw Giacomo Agostini riding one of his old MV Agusta's owned by them by at Mid Ohio a few years ago.
That was a thrill.

Team Obsolete also has bikes that were ridden by a couple of my other favorites, such as 2 time AMA Champ Dick Mann-

Yep, that bike right there.
Got to meet him a few years ago. What a gentleman. Honest to goodness, nice guy.

They also have a Honda 250cc 6 cylinder ridden by one of my favorite riders, Jim Redman

Sounds like this-

If you've been around here for awhile, you remember my favorite Jim Redman picture -

World Champ 6 times. Not bad. Not counting his Isle of Man wins. Gotta love the InterWebz. All kinds of good shit to waste time on.

Gratuitous Picture for a Monday Night-

2011-12-18T16:32:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday DogBoy................
The youngest son has a birthday today.
Amazing that I didn't kill him when he was a teenager.

Heh.

Gratuitous Picture for a Sunday-

2011-12-18T16:24:00.003-05:00

Good Advice for the ER Zombies.......
From an ER Doctor.

Advice from an ER doctor to drug seekers

"OK, I am not going to lecture you about the dangers of narcotic pain medicines. We both know how addictive they are: you because you know how it feels when you don't have your vicodin, me because I've seen many many many people just like you. However, there are a few things I can tell you that would make us both much happier......"

Hat tip to Dr BoJack.
Apparently, the Zombies around these parts haven't figured this out.

Gratuitous Picture for a Sunday Afternoon-

H/T to - Wirecutter for the picture. And yes, I want one for my truck.

2011-12-16T21:42:00.005-05:00

You'd Have Thought I'd Remember............
Some of these things.
But sometimes I need a reminder.
A couple of important things in American history happened on December 16th.

In 1773 - The Boston Tea Party

In 1944 - The Battle of the Bulge began.

Years ago, I worked as an agency nurse in the ER at a VA hospital for a short while. The clientele at the VA is always a fun group. They are all sick as hell, old as dirt, have some kind of craziness associated with substance abuse or all of the above.

But they ALL have at least one interesting story to tell if they feel like it.
We had an old WW II vet with pneumonia and I caught a glimpse of his chest xray while walking by and about shit myself.
There were metal pieces all over this guy!

I asked him where he got all that shrapnel from and he replied, "The Ardennes Forest. Battle of the Bulge. December 1944".
He told me it was from "Those Damn, Nebelwerfer's. Bastards were setting the fuses to go off in the trees, so you got metal AND tree limbs killing ya!"

Now, I'm pretty good on my WWII history, but I had to look up just what a "Nebelwerfer" was .
Looks like this.

Nasty little rocket/mortar bastard. Some had 5 barrels, this one has 6.
Effective bastard, as that old gentleman can attest to.

I never met any Vets from The Boston Tea Party, so I can't relate anything personal on that.

Except that, I Approve the next one.

Update- Ace of Spades has a link to some good Life Magazine photos of the battle.

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday Night-
Have a Cthulhu Christmas.

2011-12-16T16:37:00.003-05:00

Quick Friday Roundup.............

Lots of interesting things out there.

Now I know that this may shock some of you but here's a good question- Climategate Bombshell: Did U.S. Gov't Help Hide Climate Data?
Are your tax dollars helping hide global warming data from the public? Internal emails leaked as part of “Climategate 2.0” indicate the answer may be "Yes."

In an honest world where truth mattered, Global Warming would have already been laughed out of existence.
Hopefully, there will come a point where all of these frauds will have to payback the tax dollars they received.... Right before they close the cell door on them.

For news related to all things Global Warming I recommend Anthony Watts. This 2nd set of emails, ClimateGate 2.0, may just be the pebble that sets off the avalanche.
We can only hope.

With just a couple weeks before 100 watt incandescent bulbs are outlawed, House Republicans are making a last ditch stand for them with a rider on a spending bill-
Spending bill blocks light bulb standards
Hey, it's something anyway.
I hate those Mercury Filled Toxic Waste Curly Bastard Bulbs. They don't last all that long and I've had one of them catch on fire after only 2 weeks of use.
They are fragile as hell and Toxic as shit if you break one in the house. Yeah, Not a Fan.

Somehow I have a hard time understanding how a bulb filled with toxic heavy metal is more "Green".
Feel free to explain it to my dumb ass.

Ace of Spades has a great Bill Whittle Video today you should see -

I know we are all aware of this, but he sure has a way with words. Yeah, I have a ManCrush on Whittle.

For Something Completely Different - Here's a great story about The Night 2 Lions Attacked Harry Wolhuter in the Sabi Game Reserve 1903.
Yeah, this badass killed one of them with a knife.
Great story. He must have needed a wheelbarrow to carry his Balls around in.
I'm pretty sure I saw this at Say Uncle yesterday.

He also had this History Lesson from Larry Correia - Regardless of what they told you in school, FDR sucked.
I love Larry Correia and just finished his book, Hard Magic this morning.

Here's something my Brother turned me on to a couple of days ago that may interest you-
100 Pushups. Sounds good and I may even get my old ass working on this. No doubt I need to.

And today I see that Western Rifle Shooters has a link to that site and - 200 Situps.

Coincidence? I doubt it.
Gonna have to get to work I guess.

Gratuitous Picture for Friday-

2011-12-15T16:33:00.003-05:00

Odd Occurrence Here...............
Both today and yesterday I have seen Honeybees here.

Granted, the weather has warmed quite a bit and it was in the 50's both today and yesterday.
What got my attention is, over the last 2 years I've only seen 2 or 3 Honeybees at all.
I haven't seen any hive boxes around anywhere (not that that means much. Could just be setup out of sight) so I don't know if they are domestic or wild.

Doesn't matter I suppose, but it is nice to see them.
I still want to get some hives going here so it makes me smile to see the little things.

I really need to get off my ass and start either buying hive parts or making them myself.

Gratuitous Picture for a Thursday-
Uh, that would be, "No Earl."
Don't suppose, "Why do you ask?" is all that important.

2011-12-13T19:36:00.004-05:00

20 Steve McQueen Pictures.............

You haven't seen before at Life Magazine

Yeah, he was some kinda cool.
I had forgotten that he was born In Indiana.

Bonus Gratuitous Music for a Tuesday-

Gratuitous Picture for a Tuesday Night-

Tis the Season....

2011-12-13T12:43:00.002-05:00

Quote For Today............

"It is important to remember that government interference always means either violent action or the threat of such action. Government is in the last resort the employment of armed men, of policemen, gendarmes, soldiers, prison guards, and hangmen. The essential feature of government is the enforcement of its decrees by beating, killing, and imprisoning. Those who are asking for more government interference are asking ultimately for more compulsion and less freedom."
Ludwig von Mises

I stole this quote from this excellent, American Thinker article by Monty Pelerin - Government of The Elites, By The Elites and For The Elites

Pelerin concludes that-
"There is no viable political solution. Choosing between Corruption Faster (Democrats) and Corruption Slower (Republicans) does not change the destination, merely the rate at which the public is plundered. Government is too large and too powerful to allow itself to be dismantled via the ballot box. Yet it is also too large, too inefficient and too insolvent to survive."

You gonna argue with that? I can't.

Alan Caruba at his Blog, Warning Signs posted a good article Saturday that ties in with the above article nicely-
America's Communist President
He concludes -
"In 2010 Americans returned power in the House of Representatives to the Republican Party. We must finish the job in the Senate and in the White House in 2012. If we do not, the America we love will perish."

I personally think it's already to late for the ballot box to change much.
Read the Pelerin article above and think about it.

We are a Nation of two totally separate cultures that share only a common language and common borders.
One group wants to control everything you do via government.
The other just wants to be left the hell alone.

Nope. Don't see this working out to well.

Gratuitous Picture for a Tuesday Morning-

2011-12-12T14:07:00.003-05:00

Another Day Older............
And deeper in debt, as Tennessee Ernie Ford said.

Had a birthday the other day. Yay Me!

I don't really celebrate shit like that much except to note that I am still sucking wind, above ground and 20 odd degrees above room temperature.
Those are all good things, ya know.

Well, to me anyway.

I'm feeling everyday of it lately, too. The arthritis is starting to be a real pain in the ass. Well, more so in the joints, but you get the idea.

My Mom had Rheumatoid Arthritis in her hands that made me cringe just looking at them. That scares me.
When I was going through all the testing to see if I had Lupus, that's one of the things that tested positive, the rheumatoid factor.

Don't even like to think about it advancing like Mom's did, who knows?
Just have to deal with it as it comes.

Hmmm. Life's like that I guess.

The ER was a mess this weekend. Not that the full moon had any effect on things or anything like that. Shit, it was a ZombieFest of the highest order all weekend. All of my, Not Favorite Folks, came to visit attempting to scam drugs, etc.
Damn, I have to really remind myself that these shitheads do not represent a true cross section of society or I'd go and end up in a tower shooting random folks like Charles Fucking Whitman or some crazy shit like that.

Nothing to be done about those shitHeads so I just have to keep plugging along and try not to let them suck the life out of me as they do the country that supports their worthless asses.
In the long run, it's a self limiting problem anyway. Darwin's rules will see to that starting the day the USA goes tits up broke and the checks stop going out.
You productive folks out there? Make a point to not be around crowds when that happens.

Yes, I'm unusually grumpy today. Only had 3 hours of sleep and probably should go take a nap.
That's actually a great idea. See ya later.

Gratuitous Picture for a Monday Afternoon-
Shamelessly stolen from Roger

2011-12-10T13:16:00.004-05:00

Let's Hear it For This Sheriff...........

Sheriff Brad Rogers of Elkhart County, Indiana - Basically, he told the FDA and the DoJ to, "Go Pound Sand".

More "Raw Milk" goofiness. I really can't understand why the FDA has gone, "Balls to the Walls" on the raw milk thing.
Here's my favorite part of this story-

"Earlier this month, Rogers emailed Goldstein that there had been "a number of inspections and attempted inspections on (Hochstetler's) farm..." He warned that "any further attempts to inspect this farm without a warrant signed by a local judge, based on probable cause, will result in Federal inspectors' removal or arrest for trespassing by my officers or I."

Yep, good on ya Sheriff!

More Odd Food Related News-
Oath Keepers Alert: Federal Agents Demand Customer Lists From Mormon Food Storage Facility

"Oath Keepers has learned that federal agents recently visited a Latter Day Saints (Mormon) Church food storage cannery in Tennessee, demanding customer lists, wanting to know the identity of Americans who are purchasing food storage from the Mormons."

Now WTF is that about? Can't be good, that's for sure.
Ya gotta wonder.

Update- Oath Keepers has pulled the Cannery Story now. Not sure WTF is going on with that.

Heading off to fight the Zombie Hordes in the ER now.

Gratuitous Picture for a Saturday-

Bonus Saturday Music-

2011-12-09T15:32:00.003-05:00

Lots of Interesting Things I missed.............

Didn't see a computer, listen to the radio, or see a TV for a few days there.
Since I don't ever watch TV, that was not unusual.

Didn't miss any of them really.

Did miss December 7th and Pearl Harbor day. I always try to mark that day here. Special thing that day.

It seems that last month, I missed the announcement that Black Sabbath was back together recording and will tour next year.
I was never a HUGE Sabbath fan, but if you grew up and were into music during that time, they were a big deal.
If you were a Stoner like me, you listened to them.

Still like this one-

Glad I missed this- Woman caught making meth inside S. Tulsa Walmart
"Tulsa police arrest a woman for mixing chemicals to make meth inside a south Tulsa Walmart on Thursday.

Elizabeth Alisha Greta Halfmoon, 45, also known to go by Alisha Halfmoon, was arrested for endeavoring to manufacture meth at the 81st and Lewis store."

Maybe that's why they call it, Dope.

Speaking of, "Bad Science"-
'Mythbusters' cannonball hits Dublin home, minivan

"(12-07) 13:11 PST DUBLIN -- One of the zany experiments staged by the "Mythbusters" television show nearly turned into a suburban tragedy Tuesday afternoon in Dublin when the crew fired a homemade cannon toward huge containers of water at the Alameda County Sheriff's Department bomb disposal range."

Whoops! Looks like it went through a couple of houses trashed a mini-van.
I dialed up, Google Earth and it looks like the cannon ball went around 1000 yards. WooHoo!!!

I'll have to tell ya my Homemade Cannon story sometime. Fortunately, not as impressive as that.
But Hey, we were only 12 or 13 years old.

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday Afternoon-

2011-12-09T15:08:00.003-05:00

Back Home Again in Indiana.........
Returned to the "GrumpyUnk Command and Control Bunker" last night after a quick trip to the East Coast to help a friend of mine.

He had some things that needed fixing and a shit ton of Frequent Flyer Miles, so he footed the flight out there for me.
Worked out cool.

I fixed a few things for him and did, "Honey Do" cleanup things for him and he took me out and fed me me like a monster and bought beer.
Perfect.
I had never had fresh Lobster before. Fresh as in, you can see the dock where they unload them from the restaurant.
Oh my. That shit is good. Messy as hell but who cares?
Yeah, he had to teach my dumbass how to disassemble the thing to eat it properly. But it was cool.

Unfortunately, the weather sucked ass. Cold and rainy until the morning I left.
Pretty country up that way and I hope to make a bike ride that way this Summer. TheBigBluePlasticMotorcycle would like that area.

Great trip.
Got to see my Buddy.
Ate like a King.
All Good.
Hope to do it again sometime.

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday-
The "BigBluePlasticMotorcycle" in Wyoming 2007.

2011-12-05T09:52:00.002-05:00

Gonna Be Gone.........
Away from the computer for a few days.

You Kids play nice while I do other things.

Gratuitous Picture for a Monday-

2011-12-04T06:58:00.005-05:00

Cool and Not Cool................
Cool. As in Funny Cool. Killer Attack Barbie

The whole Zombie thing has really gotten legs the last couple of years and I can see where it's about reached the saturation point out there.
Don't care. The Killer Attack Barbie makes me laugh.

The Not so funny- Wirecutter posted this video the other day and I gotta tell ya, just watching it pissed me the hell off.

Yep, the gene pool wouldn't miss that asshole a bit.

The REALLY Not Funny- Toaster at Green Mountains Homestead has the skinny on SB 1867.
If you're not familiar with this piece of shit that passed the Senate last week you need to go check it out.
I'm sorry but, the Obama shitheads haven't impressed me on being to competent on much of anything.
Do you want these assholes deciding whether you get rounded up or not?
I didn't think so.
Check it out.
This is shit you need to know about just what these pricks are up to. Watch the videos. Scary Shit.

Just got home from a 12 hour nightshift in the ER. Tired as hell & time to sleep.

Gratuitous Picture for a Sunday Morning-

2011-12-02T05:16:00.006-05:00

Me Paranoid???????????
Perish the thought!

Loyal readers may remember that I made mention about a week ago
of how your cell phone could be tracking your every movement. (Remove the battery)

Along those same lines, Old Remus brought this latest "Paranoia Product" to my attention-
9 Reasons Wired Readers Should Wear Tinfoil Hats.

Just what I needed. Damn! It's not like I need any more shit to add to my weirdness.

"There’s plenty of reason to be concerned Big Brother is watching.

We’re paranoid not because we have grandiose notions of our self-importance, but because the facts speak for themselves.

Here’s our short list of nine reasons that Wired readers ought to wear tinfoil hats, or at least, fight for their rights and consider ways to protect themselves with encryption and defensive digital technologies.

We know the list is incomplete, so if you have better reasons that we list here, put them in the comments and we’ll make a list based off them.

Until then, remember: Don’t suspect a friend; report him"

Great. Oh well. I'm just gonna post this as a PSA for Y'all.

I picked up an extra shift today, 3pm to 3am. Got home a couple hours ago and haven't been able to sleep yet.

So there ya go. An early post for ya!

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday Morning-

It bothers me that this is entirely correct. We have no idea.

2011-12-01T12:35:00.003-05:00

Finish The Job????????????
Are you kidding me?

And you just have to wonder, given the craptaculer state of our Obama Economy, what exactly he means when he says-
Barack Obama to Donors: “I’m Going to Need Another Term to Finish the Job”

All I can think of is THIS

2011-12-01T11:54:00.003-05:00

A Visual Reminder of How Boned We Are.................
Economically.

When you start talking about the numbers our government spends everyday, most of us can't really wrap our heads around just what they represent.

Here's a nice graphic illustration for you to check out.

While you're at it, Check out the Deficit illustrations.
Incredible.

There is no way in hell this shit can last.
What happens to the country when this all crashes?

Better question. What happens to YOU when it crashes?
If you haven't thought about it before, now would be a good time to start.

Gratuitous Picture for a Thursday-

2011-11-30T23:04:00.003-05:00

100 Years Young.............
Well, almost 100 anyway.

Frank showed up at the ER one Sunday Morning about 8am. He was dressed in a suit, white shirt, tie and a fedora hat.
It seems that Frank had been having chest pain for 2-3 hours prior to arrival so I hustled him back into the ER and started doing all the normal stuff we do. Hooked him up to the monitor, EKG, IV, Oxygen and all that.

Now I spend a lot of time asking questions while I'm doing all this so I get an idea on what's going on, history, etc and some background as to what's really happening.

Turns out that, Frank is 99 years old, about 6 months shy of 100.
I'm already impressed because he's sharp as a tack, looks nowhere near that age and had driven himself to the ER instead of calling on EMS to come get him.

While gathering background info and health history, I learned that, Frank had taken Viagra the night before.
OK. I'm even MORE impressed now.
Frank had been a Veterinarian and knew his medicine and all that so he'd wisely stopped taking his Nitrate medicine 4-5 days prior to his big date on Saturday night.
Smart move on his part as mixing those can have some serious bad effects on the old blood pressure.
Like I said, Frank was sharp as a tack.

Well, the problem was that the exertion that resulted form the Saturday night encounter was a bit much and the Nitrates he needed to help weren't there. Bummer.

He wasn't bitching about it though. He'd taken a calculated risk and figured the chance of getting his ashes hauled versus not taking his regular medicine was worth it.
It seems this had worked out ok in the past and, as he put it, "What the hell do I have to lose?"

Basically, he was stable and just needed to get his shit back together and rest a bit. It was a pretty slow morning and He and I hit it off pretty well and shared a few laughs.
Till his son showed up.

Now his son was at least 75 years old and the first thing he does is starts in on old Frank about how stupid it is to stop taking his regular medicine and to be taking Viagra.

Frank just sat there and let the kid go on without saying a thing. And he did go on. And on. And on. Till I couldn't take it anymore.

I finally told, Junior to "Shut the hell up!" Junior got pretty upset about that and tells me, "But that could kill him!"
To which both Frank and I said, "So who cares!?!"

I took it from there and reminded junior that every Cowboy wants to die in the saddle and even if Frank did die, it would take the Undertaker a week to get the smile off his face. And besides, what real man wouldn't want to go out like that?
Junior got pissed and took off muttering and Frank and I laughed about it some more. Frank knew his Kid had his best interest at heart and wasn't mad about it at all.

All of a sudden, Frank leans over and says, "I forgot to tell ya the best part."
Of course, I'm all ears now and said, "Yeah, what's that?"

Frank replies, "My girl Friend? She's only 69 years old. I been robbing the fucking cradle!"

I damn near lost it. We laughed so hard that the Doctor came in worrying I was gonna start old Frank's chest pain up again. We sent him upstairs for observation and I never saw him again. Don't know if he made it to 100 or died in the saddle with blood on his boots or what.
But I'll never forget him.

Who wouldn't want to be like that?

Gratuitous Picture for a Wednesday Night-

2011-11-29T23:28:00.003-05:00

Just Because............
I feel like re-posting these videos I made.

It really is like this. Normal folks have no idea.

It should be like this-

Yep, just a bit bitter tonight.

Gratuitous Picture for a Tuesday Night-

2011-11-29T20:27:00.002-05:00

One For Barney and One For the Road.............

Congressman Barney Frank that is.

This sorry SOB is finally leaving Congress. It should be on the end of a rope, but he's leaving and I guess that's as good as we can expect.

Representative Barney Frank is representative of just about everything that's wrong with this country and is one of the architects of our current economic mess. I'll refrain from calling him a cocksucker only because it's redundant.

With any luck he'll get struck by a meteor or some shit shortly after he retires.

Here's another Frank with a song for Barney-

Don't let the door hit ya on the way out, Barney!

Gratuitous Picture for a Tuesday Evening-

2011-11-29T01:53:00.005-05:00

Damn Sleep Cycle is All Screwed Up.......
It's damn near 2 am and I am unable to get to sleep. Night shifts will kick the shit out of your Circadian Rhythm.

Off to bed again. Hopefully I'll have better results this time.

Gratuitous Picture for a Early Tuesday Morning-
Swiped this from Wirecutter

2011-11-28T16:32:00.002-05:00

Just Another Mucked Up Monday.........
Cold and wet here at the "GrumpyUnk Command and Control Bunker" today.
After working the night shift again this weekend, I slept through a lot of today anyway. Got the Stove fired up and things are nice and toasty.

The Holiday Season seems to have officially begun around the ER.
No, it's not the Christmas music playing everywhere or the non-stop "Sales Events" commercials on the tube.

Nope. Just like every year the ER was a non-stop crew of Suicidal Zombies, Attention Seeking Zombies and Overdosed Zombies this weekend.
Well technically speaking, Underdosed Zombies.
Real Overdoses do it right and they bypass the ER and go straight to the Morgue. Very damn few real Overdoses though and most of those are unintentional.

No, we see the ones who make, "Suicidal Gestures".

Oh well, that's the way it is. Sorta like the Geese flying North in the Springtime, the OD Holiday Zombie is just another sign of the seasons.

Damn, sometimes I forget that we only see a small percentage of the population and not EVERYONE out there is a fucking loser.
I have to remind myself of that occasionally.

Gratuitous Picture for a Monday Afternoon-

2011-11-25T16:20:00.002-05:00

Quote of the Day...............

"Food is Power. We use it to change behavior. Some may call that bribery. We do not apologize." -

Catherine Bertini, Executive director U.N. World Food Program, in 1995

For some reason, this came to mind today. No idea why, but when oddball thoughts like this thrust themselves into my head it makes me stop and think.

In a perfect world, the U.N. would actually do good things for people and not for themselves.

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday-
Grow your own. Fuck them.

2011-11-25T16:10:00.005-05:00

Black Friday Edition............

Well, nobody here got up at 0:DarkThirty to go fight the Zombie Hordes for those, "Just Gotta Have" special deals today.

It amazes me how this Giant Clusterfuck has taken hold.
Screw that. The wife made me do that shit once 10-12 years ago. Oh Hell No. Never again.

If they were giving away $20 bills I still wouldn't get into those crowds.

I guess this is where I place the obligatory, Steely Dan Video-

Do like that song so Black Friday is good for something after all.

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday-

2011-11-24T09:19:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all.............
May you and Yours enjoy the day.

Kids and Family here at the "GrumpyUnk Command and Control Bunker". It's nice to be able to have 'em all together.

Later, we'll all gather round for the traditional, Arlo Guthrie Fest.

If you don't have a copy of, Alice's Restaurant, here ya go-

Have a great day, folks and if you're going out into the madness tomorrow, try to buy Ammo.

Gratuitous Picture for Thanksgiving-

2011-11-23T13:46:00.004-05:00

So, I Got This Email From Karl Today...........

Regarding the ever popular, "Gratuitous Picture" feature here.

Karl sells Hats and he asked if I would feature one here.
Now these are Cool Hats.

So cool that when I first saw a picture of one, I snatched a picture of it and saved it away for possible use here.
So how can I refuse??

Yeah, I like it.

Now the cool thing is, They Are On Sale for under $20 Bucks.
I particularly like his sales pitch-

"The 99% Win
We bow to the victors, those 99%. We realize now that pursuing profit is an evil calling.

We have dropped the price of our Commie Obama hat by 33% in tribute to the masses and their sacrifices on Wall Street and elsewhere. Braving rape, lice, theft and mockery from the 1%, they slept so we could finally be equal.

We can't pay off their college loans, but we can go out of business by selling our hats at extremely low prices.

Comrades! Help us go out of business and have fun this holiday season."

Yep, that's a win.
So good luck Karl. Hope you sell a zillion of them.

And no, in case you were wondering, I didn't receive anything for featuring Karl's Hat here.
Not to say that I wouldn't like one. (Nudge. Nudge. Wink. Wink.)

Oh, one thing though, Karl.
The Gratuitous Picture?
It remains just a random thing and your hat doesn't get the "Gratuitous Picture" treatment.
Sorry Dude.

Gratuitous Picture for a Wednesday Afternoon-
Don't Do It, Karl!1!1!!!!

2011-11-23T12:07:00.003-05:00

Over the Rainbow..............
A week or so ago, Dogboy, the youngest son, came by and I showed him this video of Tommy Emmanuel playing, Over the Rainbow-

Yesterday, the Little Shit shows up and plays me the song. Not like Tommy Emmanuel plays it of course, but a nice version of his own.
Damn, the kid needs a decent guitar.
He's got a ton of talent and could be really be good if he had a decent instrument and worked on it.
We'll have to work on getting him a decent guitar. Just NOT the way that I Got Mine!

Since we're on the topic of Guitarists and, Over the Rainbow, May as well toss in this nice Clapton version-

I put this Jeff Beck version up here before after seeing him do this song live, but damn, how can ya not show it again?

And because I'm a Giver, here's The Ramones version-

I gotta say I do like that.

Gratuitous Picture fro a Wednesday-

2011-11-22T10:47:00.002-05:00

Graphic Illustration of Just What a .223 Round.......
Is capable of.

Say Uncle linked to this excellent post yesterday- Why you do not want to get shot with an M16...(Warning: Disturbing photograph)

Yes, there are a few Gnarly photos, so if you're the sensitive type (Wussy) don't go there.
I found it quite interesting and informative.
Serious, Blow Out Exit Wound photos say- "Damn, That's Gonna Leave a Mark!"

Makes ya rethink the whole, "The .223 is a Pussy Round" thing.
At least at close range anyway.

Not that I'm gonna volunteer to go catch one at long range either.

It's Cold and Wet here this morning and I'm heading out to the barn to do a bit of clean up and organizing.
Enjoy your day.

Gratuitous Picture for a Tuesday-

2011-11-22T10:22:00.002-05:00

Interesting Info for Y'all With Those High Tech Phones............
Via Michael Yon Pocket Spies-

"Meanwhile, those smartphones that so many of us carry are tantamount to carrying hostile spies in our pockets. If the battery is charged and in the phone, the phone is a homing beacon whether it’s on or off. Now add services such as Facebook, and those excellent phone cameras with geotagging, and there is a combination for disaster."

This is pretty interesting stuff. I don't have one of these smart phones and after reading this I don't see myself going out and getting one any time soon.

This also makes my dislike of Facebook just that much stronger. To intelligence gathering agency's like the KGB, CIA, Homeland Security, NSA, etc, Facebook is a wet dream. There's a Cray Supercomputer churning through Facebook, Twitter and all of the other, Social Networking sites out there right now.

Just got me thinking about this.

Gratuitous Picture for a Tuesday Morning-

2011-11-21T13:43:00.005-05:00

Monday Morning it Was All I'd Hoped it Would Be.............
With apologies to the Mamas and the Papas-

This weekend in the ER was a trip. After all the years I've been doing this shit, I have never figured out what it is that makes some days overwhelming in the sheer numbers of people that show up and other days are low volume and low impact.
Probably never will figure out what it is either.

Saturday was a total Zombie Shit Fest of the highest order. Last night? Not so bad and a damn sight better.

Yesterdays theme was, "I'm Having the BIG ONE".
A BUNCH of folks decided to have Heart Attacks yesterday for some reason. Strange, but as an ER nurse, it's good to be able to do real ER stuff for folks who need it and not have to be distracted by overwhelming numbers of Zombies demanding freebies and narcotics.

Gotta go in for some- MANDATORY!!11!!11!! -Training on the new computer system in a few minutes. Hopefully this setup will be easy for an old fart like me to pick up on.

Old Dogs, New Tricks sorta thing. I gotta use it so I want to figure it out right off the bat.
We'll see. Wish me luck.

I really hate the, "Everything is- MANDATORY!!11!!11!!"- mindset that seems to have infected Admin though. That whole attitude has spread through the whole place over the last few years.

I haven't gotten any Warm Fuzzy's from the Admin folks in a long time. Oh well.

Gratuitous Picture for a Monday Monday-

2011-11-20T13:35:00.002-05:00

Because We Want to help..............

It still amazes me that there are people in the USA who look to the EU as something to aspire to and emulate-
EU bans claim that water can prevent dehydration

"Brussels bureaucrats were ridiculed yesterday after banning drink manufacturers from claiming that water can prevent dehydration.....

EU officials concluded that, following a three-year investigation, there was no evidence to prove the previously undisputed fact.

Producers of bottled water are now forbidden by law from making the claim and will face a two-year jail sentence if they defy the edict, which comes into force in the UK next month."

I love the part where it took them 3 FRIGGEN YEARS (of government funded study or tax dollars) to come to this erroneous conclusion.
And in true dictatorial fashion, they impose jail time on those who
1) State a completely true fact
2) Disagree with the morons who came up with this shit.

It's good to see that they are being ridiculed, but I didn't see anything about them rescinding this horseshit or where any of those responsible were strung up on a lamp post.

From the the - "It takes a Village to Steal Your Child" school of thought, comes this,
via Radley Balko - Your Government-Taking-a-Child-Away-From-Her-Parents Story of the Week
Follow the link there and get furious.
Yep. They're smarter than you and they will do whatever the hell they want. Including, Stealing Your Children.
Christmas is coming. Make a list and check it twice.

Gotta run & get my shit together for work.

Gratuitous Picture for a Sunday-

2011-11-19T12:25:00.002-05:00

National Ammo Day is Today............

Of course I had forgotten that till I was reminded of it this morning HERE

I am heading off to work shortly and won't be able to stop and get ammo today so I hope the 2 bulk packs of .22LR I bought last week will suffice. Hell, I will buy some ammo next week too!

Buy some ammo and make Chuck Shumer cry.

2011-11-18T12:47:00.002-05:00

President Obama Once Again Shows How Much He Cares.........

About Job Creation and Energy Independence.
Just like the Keystone Pipeline Project I mentioned the other day, the Obama administration has decided that 200,000 jobs in Ohio aren't really all that important.

Obama USDA delays shale drilling, up to 200k jobs

"President Obama's United States Department of Agriculture has delayed shale gas drilling in Ohio for up to six months by cancelling a mineral lease auction for Wayne National Forest (WNF). The move was taken in deference to environmentalists, on the pretext of studying the effects of hydraulic fracturing...."

"Speaking of the WNF gas drilling, one environmentalist group spokesman suggested that moving forward with drilling "could turn the Ohio Valley into Ozone Alley," even though Wayne National Forest already has nearly 1300 oil and gas wells in operation."

Ohio, is one of those big, "Battle Ground" states and I would hope that someone there would be bright enough to remind those 200,000 potential workers about this come 2012 and election time.
Silly Bastards.

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday-

2011-11-18T12:31:00.002-05:00

How Crazy is This??????????

Turf War? Glendale Bans Fake Grass

"GLENDALE (CBS) — The city of Glendale is imposing a ban on artificial grass. Notices are going out to homeowners whose front yards are covered in turf...."

Now why the hell would they do this?

"City officials say the concern is related to the plastic and chemicals used in the artificial turf."
Well, I should'a known.

"When asked why the fake grass would continue to be allowed in backyards, officials had no answer."
Which means it's just horseshit all together and there really isn't any good reason for this.

Rope. Tree. Regulators- Some Assembly Required.
Silly Sons-a-Bitches just can't leave people the hell alone.

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday-

2011-11-17T22:25:00.002-05:00

Busy Day...........
Just realized I didn't even get on this computer after checking the email early this morning.

My bad.

But I got a whole hell of a lot done today at least!
Cold and clear out there tonight. Got the stove fired up and it's nice and toasty in here.

Listening to this song as I write this-

Jimmy Page deserves all the praise he's gotten over the years. Musically, this song is as sweet as it gets and showcases how melodic he could be.
Beautiful song.

Gratuitous Picture for a Thursday Night-

2011-11-16T20:17:00.002-05:00

The Sun Came Out Today.........
Thank Goodness.

It's been rainy and overcast here for a few days. About all I could take of it, too.
Damn, that shit is depressing.

Got a bit of chores done outside and cleaned up some of the mess from the heavy winds that have come through here.

Spent the rest of the day in a book and doing some inside chores.

Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny & that's a darn good thing. Damn gloomy weather depresses the hell out of me.

Gratuitous Picture for a Wednesday-

2011-11-15T08:49:00.003-05:00

Miscellaneous Bullshit to Think About...........

Worked the Night Shift this weekend and wasn't worth a shit yesterday. Woke up way early this morning so here ya go. Some interesting things to read.

Scary, thought provoking article-
The Truth about Violence
"Just as it is prudent to wear your seat belt while driving, it makes sense to know how best to respond to violence. In fact, it is overwhelmingly likely that some of you will become the targets of violence in the future. The purpose of this essay is to help you prepare for it."
You may not agree with everything said, but you should be thinking about this.

I have heard rumors of this for years. I hope it isn't true-
CIA Continues to Hide Evidence on Vietnam Era MIAs
One has to wonder: Would they really leave those guys there? Scary, cause I know the answer already.

(The above links via - Remus at The Woodpile Report)

Gratuitous Picture-

2011-11-15T08:34:00.003-05:00

Ya Have to Wonder After a While............

Just why exactly our President is sabotaging the economy?

WireCutter notes another great example of Obama's genius here-
Yeah, he's all about jobs and lower fuel costs, all right.

Check out the links there.
Amazing.

Update- Here's some more info on this story for ya
"Morning Bell: How President Obama Killed Thousands of Jobs"

Gratuitous Picture for a Tuesday-

2011-11-15T08:24:00.002-05:00

In Case You Were Wondering.......

Sex With Animals Can Lead To Penis Cancer: Study
"If you're searching for a reason not to have sex with animals, add this to the list: It could give you penis cancer, according to a new study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

The authors found that men who have had sex with animals were twice as likely to develop penile cancer as those who stick with their own kind."

I suppose there are folks who may need to know this.
Hopefully, it's a small group.

Gratuitous Picture for a Tuesday Morning-

2011-11-14T21:33:00.003-05:00

Interesting Developments..........
Involving Israel?

On the medical front- Breakthrough: Israel Develops Cancer Vaccine
"In a breakthrough development, the Israeli company Vaxil BioTherapeutics has formulated a therapeutic cancer vaccine, now in clinical trials at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem. If all goes well, the vaccine could be available about six years down the road, to administer on a regular basis not only to help treat cancer but in order to keep the disease from recurring."

Let's hope this works.

On the other end of the spectrum. Remember that explosion at the Iranian military base last week?
Not sure about you, but I don't personally believe in coincidences -

Iran missile development commander killed in explosion
"An explosion at a Revolutionary Guard base in Iran killed a senior commander in charge of the country's missile development programme, the authorities have said, prompting speculation Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service was involved."

Nah. That's just crazy talk.

Gratuitous Picture for a Monday Night-

2011-11-14T19:49:00.003-05:00

Hell of a Storm Here..........
Rolled in an hour or so ago.
Hail, Lightning and a short power outage.
Strange weather for mid November though.

It's been unseasonably warm and windy as hell the last 48 hours. Not gonna complain about 70+ degree weather.
Since that front moved in the temps have dropped a bunch, but it's still decent out there.

Yep, that damn, Al Gore has things all screwed up anymore.

Gratuitous Picture for a Monday Evening-
Yeah, you wish this was your dog.

2011-11-11T10:27:00.004-05:00

On the 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month..........

The Guns Stopped Firing

Take a minute to thank a Veteran today.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Post Update - Found this BBC video (somewhere) and just finished watching it. 4 parts and very enlightening.
YerUnk recommends it-

2011-11-10T11:54:00.006-05:00

Birthdays and Anniversaries...........

First off, Happy Birthday to the USMC!
Interesting ceremony on cutting the USMC Birthday Cake at the link.
I did not know this.
Gratuitous picture of a Bad MoFo Marine, Chesty Puller -

Anniversaries- In my usual, "Ooops", day late on noting them way - Yesterday, November 9th, 1989 The Berlin Wall came down.
I had only been off active duty Army for 2 months when this happened. Remember sitting up all night watching the news and drinking beer in celebration.
Good times.

And Just for the Hell of it, Roger Explains it for us - The Debt Ceiling Explained

* Democrats don't understand THE DEBT CEILING.
* Republicans don't understand THE DEBT CEILING.
* Liberals don't understand THE DEBT CEILING.
* Neocons don't understand THE DEBT CEILING.

"Allow me to explain

Let's say, you come home from work and find there has been a sewer backup in your neighborhood.

Your home has sewage all the way up to your ceilings.

What do you think you should do? Raise the ceilings or pump out the shit?

Your choice is coming next November. Don't miss the opportunity."
I'm good with this explanation.

Gratuitous Picture for a Thursday Afternoon-
Swiped from Green Mountains Homestead

Good advice.

2011-11-09T11:05:00.006-05:00

Good Ride Yesterday...........

Was out of the house on TheBigBluePlasticMotorcycle by 9 yesterday morning and decided I needed to hit the Ohio River.
Now there are 2 good ways to do that from here. One on the East of the Louisville area and one to the West.

If you're like me, fighting all the traffic and fucking Dumbasses around the Louisville Metro area just ain't an option so it's best to choose one or the other.

There are great roads to ride with either choice so you can't really lose.

I headed West and South and wound up here-

That road behind the bike there is the main drag and it just runs right into the river. Should have gotten a picture of the warning sign.

The restaurant I parked at is currently closed for repairs due to flooding this Spring. You can see the river looks like there's a pretty good distance below the elevation of this place, and you'd be right.

It's gotta be 25+ feet down to the current water level. I can't wrap my head around the volume of water it would take to bring the river up to where there was 4-5 feet running through the spot where my bike is parked in the picture.

A Barge was going by just as I pulled up-

I always thought that working on one of those would be a cool ass job.
Never occurred to me as a job option growing up in Northern Indiana though.

Here's a pic of the river taken up on the bluff in the parking lot of The Overlook Restaurant-

Nice view even if the crappy cellphone pic doesn't do it justice.

I rode the river for awhile and headed Northwest up to my friend, Michael Boone's place and spent an hour or so shooting the shit with him and his lovely wife, Patty.
He lives in a valley that is 3-4 miles off the pavement and is as pretty a setting as a guy could ever want.
Good people those 2.

Made the 60 mile ride home from there and hit the house shortly after dark, wore the hell out.
In a good way.
That may be the last good day of riding for this year so I'm glad I got out and spent some quality time in the saddle.
Did approximately 240 miles of beautiful 2 lane Southern Indiana roads and loved it.

Damn good mental hygiene that motorcycle is.
Working this afternoon so gotta go.

Gratuitous Picture for a Wednesday Afternoon-
Now you know what really happened.

2011-11-08T22:41:00.003-05:00

Joe Frazier, RIP.........

Goodnight Champ and rest easy.

What a great fighter. Even he couldn't beat Cancer.

Spent the day out on the motorcycle and just now saw this. He'll always be remembered for being the first guy to do this-

All of my heroes are fading into the sunset.

2011-11-08T09:05:00.003-05:00

It's Tuesday and Time for a Ride...........
Yep. Nice out there this morning and I'm heading off for a ride on the BigBluePlasticMotorcycle.

Some things for ya to consider-

Via SSI.

Think about this when you hear them report news on anything. It's all horseshit that follows the agenda of whoever it is they get the script from.

And more importantly, it's not what they report, it's what they omit that counts.
StormBringer provides a program of some of the players you should know in Obama's circle. Haven't seen these folks profiled on the major media have ya?

Angry White Dude reports on his trip to Sodom on the Potomac- "THE SEDUCTIVE BEAUTY AND HORROR OF WASHINGTON"
Very well written and thought provoking. I suggest you read it.

Speaking of Thought provoking -
Economics.
We're Boned.
The Collapse of Our Corrupt, Predatory, Pathological Financial System Is Necessary and Positive

We Won't Need To Extinguish The Government- They Will Do It Themselves

Wasted Bacon.

That dude can shoot.

OK, off to ride. Think I'll go down and see the Ohio River this morning.

Gratuitous Picture for a Tuesday Morning-

Bonus Video-