Today we went and did our bit by advance voting. After we had voted and were leaving, The Old Lady commented, "If only they could give us a chip to cancel all the ads on TV." This time we were in and out in no time compared to the early voting last month. Even tho they only had half the machines as before, we barely had time to fill out the form before we were in the room where the voting machines were.
Now that the TV's are going digital, the next improvement could be a way to stop the ads after you have voted. Wouldn't that be an incentive for people to get out and vote early!!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Holiday Greetings
Noticed that other blogs are putting up holiday stuff, so here's my bit for the season. This only hits the high points on the holidays. There are some that are missing, but I guess the cartoonist couldn't come up with things to represent Chanuka or Kwanzaa.Monday, November 24, 2008
Dedicating Songs to a Missing Blog
Today I went looking for a blog that was there yesterday and found that it had been removed. The Future Was Yesterday had posted about his encounters with Texans and Texas. I was going to dedicate a song to him, but seeing as the blog is not there at this time, I'll do it here. The song that came to mind was Asshole From El Paso by Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys. While looking for that song on YouTube I found this song. This song may express what I think Future may think of Tejas. It does contain a few words that shouldn't be used in polite company.
Are You Smarter Than a Politician??
Here is a Civics Quiz.
WASHINGTON (AFP) – US elected officials scored abysmally on a test measuring their civic knowledge, with an average grade of just 44 percent, the group that organized the exam said Thursday.
Ordinary citizens did not fare much better, scoring just 49 percent correct on the 33 exam questions compiled by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI).
I found a link to the test on the blog; Happy To Be From Iowa. H/T to Mnmom.
This quiz was done by Intercollegiate Studies Institute.
Elected Officials Score Lower than the General Public
Officeholders typically have less civic knowledge than the general public. On average, they score 44%, five percentage points lower than non-officeholders.
Thirty percent of elected officials do not know that “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” are the inalienable rights referred to in the Declaration of Independence
This explains a lot about how our country got as fucked up as it is today. Maybe we need to give politicians a civics test before they can run for office. If you flunk, go home.
Here is a breakdown on how people scored based on education, income, political leanings, church goer or not, etc..........
I got 29 out of 33 for a score of 87.88%. The score by age peaks at 45-64 (the group I'm in) and drops off for 65+. Dementia maybe??
WASHINGTON (AFP) – US elected officials scored abysmally on a test measuring their civic knowledge, with an average grade of just 44 percent, the group that organized the exam said Thursday.
Ordinary citizens did not fare much better, scoring just 49 percent correct on the 33 exam questions compiled by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI).
I found a link to the test on the blog; Happy To Be From Iowa. H/T to Mnmom.
This quiz was done by Intercollegiate Studies Institute.
Elected Officials Score Lower than the General Public
Officeholders typically have less civic knowledge than the general public. On average, they score 44%, five percentage points lower than non-officeholders.
Thirty percent of elected officials do not know that “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” are the inalienable rights referred to in the Declaration of Independence
This explains a lot about how our country got as fucked up as it is today. Maybe we need to give politicians a civics test before they can run for office. If you flunk, go home.
Here is a breakdown on how people scored based on education, income, political leanings, church goer or not, etc..........
I got 29 out of 33 for a score of 87.88%. The score by age peaks at 45-64 (the group I'm in) and drops off for 65+. Dementia maybe??
Friday, November 21, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Finnish Takeover of Nova Scotia
There is a humorous satire in The Hammer, a Canadian humor and satire site. It is supposedly about how the Finns are taking over Nova Scotia.
"Most of Nova Scotia's Stop signs are now bilingual English/Finnish, yet another example of the creeping Finnish dominance of the Maritime provinces, according to Howard Bigotron of the Anti-Finland League"
"The Anti-Finland League, an obscure yet controversial Toronto-based pressure group which claims a Canadian membership of six, has been lobbying federal, provincial and municipal representatives to curtail the Finnish influence in Canada for 24 years."
"Don't let their dour expression and passive personalities fool you.....These Finns are clearly hellbent on world domination." -Anti-Finland League Maritime Branch Leader Howard Bigotron yesterday in Halifax.
Even non-Finns will find this funny!! H/T to Migrant Tales for the link.
NCLB, Bushevik Profiteers
Here is an article in ProjectCensored.org about NCLB and millions being made by profiteers when schools are struggling without proper funding. Neil Bush (you know, the one involved in the Saving & Loan scandel who would have been put in prison if his daddy hadn't been Pres #41) is one of the profiteers making millions from NCLB. Bill Bennett (the bloated one always on TV talking sanctimoniously about morality) has also profited handsomely from NCLB.
"While the Business Roundtable maintains that the high-stakes tests administered nationwide hold schools accountable to “Adequate Yearly Progress,” NCLB has instead benefited the testing industry in the amount of between $1.9 and $5.3 billion a year. NCLB requires states to produce “interpretive, descriptive, and diagnostic reports,” all of which are provided at a price by members of the industry. Among these are the top four or five players in the textbook market, including the Big Three—McGraw-Hill, Houghton-Mifflin, and Harcourt General—who have, since the passage of NCLB, come to dominate the testing market. Identified by Wall Street analysts in the wake of the 2000 election as “Bush stocks,” all three represent owners like Harold McGraw III, who has longstanding ties to the Bush administration and the lobbying efforts of Sandy Kress.
Other Kress clients, including Ignite! Learning, a company headed by Neil Bush, and K12 Inc., a for-profit enterprise owned by Bill Bennett, tailored themselves to vie for NCLB dollars."
Just imagine if all those billions had actually gone to improve the schools, and not to fatten the wallets of a few profiteers.
"While the Business Roundtable maintains that the high-stakes tests administered nationwide hold schools accountable to “Adequate Yearly Progress,” NCLB has instead benefited the testing industry in the amount of between $1.9 and $5.3 billion a year. NCLB requires states to produce “interpretive, descriptive, and diagnostic reports,” all of which are provided at a price by members of the industry. Among these are the top four or five players in the textbook market, including the Big Three—McGraw-Hill, Houghton-Mifflin, and Harcourt General—who have, since the passage of NCLB, come to dominate the testing market. Identified by Wall Street analysts in the wake of the 2000 election as “Bush stocks,” all three represent owners like Harold McGraw III, who has longstanding ties to the Bush administration and the lobbying efforts of Sandy Kress.
Other Kress clients, including Ignite! Learning, a company headed by Neil Bush, and K12 Inc., a for-profit enterprise owned by Bill Bennett, tailored themselves to vie for NCLB dollars."
Just imagine if all those billions had actually gone to improve the schools, and not to fatten the wallets of a few profiteers.
Cheney Indicted in Texas
Now this is the best news I have heard since 11/4. Here I had decided that Tejas was hopelessly red, a grand jury goes and indicts Darth Cheney and Abu Gonzales. Life never ceases to amaze me!!
Willacy County is in the Brownsville area.
Now can we please see them do the Perp Walk, Please!!
End of an Error
Here are some of the t-shirts at Betterthanpants.com. A lot of them are politically incorrect but funny. The "paddle faster" one struck me as funny because I'm not that far from where the movie Deliverance took place. I'm tempted to get the 1/20/09 one for myself.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Economic News
This is one of the cartoons on a slideshow from SeattlePI.com . There are 22 in all. I like #2, 3, 4, 13, 17, 21, and 22. They are all good but those are the ones I like best.
EXAS, Whole 'Nother Country
Last March as I was leaving that "Whole 'Nother Country", I stopped to take a picture of this defunct (nldba) store because I liked the name of the store. After Lickskillet, what comes next?? Burnt Tongue maybe?? After taking this picture from across the road, I looked and saw the sign at the border.
I noticed part of it is missing, question is is it the head or the ass that got knocked off??
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Snow UP on the Tundra
Last weekend it snowed UP on the tundra and by the time it ended they had a foot of snow. These pictures are from about 30 years ago. Next to the pickup buried in the snowdrift is a '62 Mercury Meteor. The kids were able to walk on the snowdrift up on to the roof of the mobile home.
The dog in the picture is Banjo. She lived outside most of the time. The only time she wanted in
was during thunderstorms. Then she would come in and hide under the kid's bed. One time there
was no room under the bed and she went under the couch. I had to lift the couch up so she could get out.
These pictures are typical of what it was like in the middle of Winter back then. This may be what we have to look forward to in the future. The Old Lady says that this is the only place we can afford to retire to. But, hey it's not that bad anymore thanks to global warming!!
The trailer is no longer there, I tore it down a couple of years ago. I may have to build the retirement bunker where it sat.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
A Kitty and Puppies
I usually don't go for pictures of cats, but this picture of the kitty with puppies is cute!!
7 yr Old Smarter Than The Average Bear
This post on Crooks and Liars is about a seven year-old that was blogging for Obama. He has a blog called Report from Planet Stas'. His Kids for Obama: Election Commentary is very insightful:
Here is why I'm asking grown-ups to vote for Barack Obama. I am 7 years old so I can't vote......My mom told me that I shouldn't base my election analysis on "feelings" (I like him/her) or "beliefs" (I share his/her beliefs) but on logical arguments. She asked me to create my own rational explanations for my support of Obama. Here is one of my arguments:
McCain and Palin are not be qualified to be President / Vice President of the U.S. The President's job is to do good for the country and the world. To do good for the country, the President must make smart decisions on important situations.
Governor Palin believes the world is 6000 years old. This is absurd. This is not a rational belief. This is a mistake. Scientists, experiments and evidence have shown this to be completely false. Therefore, she is not rational. If she is not rational, she should not be allowed to be President or Vice President.
Please vote for Barack Obama.
I like in the comments section where someone said; Yes, a seven year-old is smarter than Wolf Blitzer. Then again Wolfie has constipation of the mind and diarrhea of the mouth.
Here is why I'm asking grown-ups to vote for Barack Obama. I am 7 years old so I can't vote......My mom told me that I shouldn't base my election analysis on "feelings" (I like him/her) or "beliefs" (I share his/her beliefs) but on logical arguments. She asked me to create my own rational explanations for my support of Obama. Here is one of my arguments:
McCain and Palin are not be qualified to be President / Vice President of the U.S. The President's job is to do good for the country and the world. To do good for the country, the President must make smart decisions on important situations.
Governor Palin believes the world is 6000 years old. This is absurd. This is not a rational belief. This is a mistake. Scientists, experiments and evidence have shown this to be completely false. Therefore, she is not rational. If she is not rational, she should not be allowed to be President or Vice President.
Please vote for Barack Obama.
I like in the comments section where someone said; Yes, a seven year-old is smarter than Wolf Blitzer. Then again Wolfie has constipation of the mind and diarrhea of the mouth.
Cindy McPills
There is an article in The National Enquirer about Cindy McPills having an affair with a guy that "a washed-up '80s rock musician"
"A second witness spotted Cindy and her "mystery man" at a Moody Blues concert "passionately kissing and hugging.""I couldn't believe it. I remember thinking, 'Go get a room!'"They kissed and cuddled. While other concertgoers stood up to cheer and sing, Cindy and the guy remained entwined in their seats," the eyewitness said.
The Moody Blues are still doing concerts?? Who knew??
She did cheat with McCain while he was still married to his first wife, so if she is cheating now should come as no surprise.
Why is it that these days to get real news you have to go to The National Enquirer??
"A second witness spotted Cindy and her "mystery man" at a Moody Blues concert "passionately kissing and hugging.""I couldn't believe it. I remember thinking, 'Go get a room!'"They kissed and cuddled. While other concertgoers stood up to cheer and sing, Cindy and the guy remained entwined in their seats," the eyewitness said.
The Moody Blues are still doing concerts?? Who knew??
She did cheat with McCain while he was still married to his first wife, so if she is cheating now should come as no surprise.
Why is it that these days to get real news you have to go to The National Enquirer??
That Irish One, O'Bama
Here is an amusing uplifting little ditty!!
It would be fun to watch Bill O' watching this video. How red would his face get and would his head explode??
Damn, it worked. I managed to put a video on my blog.
It would be fun to watch Bill O' watching this video. How red would his face get and would his head explode??
Damn, it worked. I managed to put a video on my blog.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Obama meetin with a Terrist
Found this post on WTFisitnow and it hit my funny bone. I know Obama said he would meet with no preconditions, but in this case maybe there should have been some!! One that I can think of off the top of my head would be to keep enough distance as to not be in the same picture together. Anyone have any ideas??
Veterans, Who Loves You??
Found a link to BobGeiger.com at Crooks and Liars. Bob Geiger has a very good post on who is on the side of Vets and who only gives them lip service. I have never been able to understand why veteran's groups like the VFW and American Legion always support the Repukes when they never return the favor. In explaining why he voted against a new G.I. Bill, Sen. John Cornyn of TX said:
"I know it is not his intention, but Senator Webb's bill actually would encourage people not to reenlist by providing a perverse incentive to leave early in order to obtain the benefits they would receive after 3 years of service. We need to make sure we encourage continuation of service, retention in the military in the best interests of our All-Volunteer military force."
They make all kinds of fancy speeches on Veteran's Day and on Memorial Day, but when they have a chance to actually help the vets and their families they refuse because they want the troops to stay in the military and continue to put theirs lives at risk with very little in return for their sacrifice.
It was the G.I. Bill that made this country strong after the Big One, WWII. Now if someone can no longer go to war because of their injuries or have decided not to re-enlist because they have enough war, they are basically told by Right-Wing War Mongering SissyHawks to go away, you are no longer of any value to us!!
As a Veteran who served during 'Nam because I was too dumb to go around the lake to go to Canada, this attitude by the RWWMSH really pisses me off!! Especially when I see how many of these SissyHawks (I won't call them Chicken Hawks because that is a fierce little bird that can take on Foghorn Leghorn) had quote, " other priorities in the 60's"!! Sometimes I think we need to go up to each person that votes for these assholes and smack them between the eyes with a 2X4 to get their attention!!
"I know it is not his intention, but Senator Webb's bill actually would encourage people not to reenlist by providing a perverse incentive to leave early in order to obtain the benefits they would receive after 3 years of service. We need to make sure we encourage continuation of service, retention in the military in the best interests of our All-Volunteer military force."
They make all kinds of fancy speeches on Veteran's Day and on Memorial Day, but when they have a chance to actually help the vets and their families they refuse because they want the troops to stay in the military and continue to put theirs lives at risk with very little in return for their sacrifice.
It was the G.I. Bill that made this country strong after the Big One, WWII. Now if someone can no longer go to war because of their injuries or have decided not to re-enlist because they have enough war, they are basically told by Right-Wing War Mongering SissyHawks to go away, you are no longer of any value to us!!
As a Veteran who served during 'Nam because I was too dumb to go around the lake to go to Canada, this attitude by the RWWMSH really pisses me off!! Especially when I see how many of these SissyHawks (I won't call them Chicken Hawks because that is a fierce little bird that can take on Foghorn Leghorn) had quote, " other priorities in the 60's"!! Sometimes I think we need to go up to each person that votes for these assholes and smack them between the eyes with a 2X4 to get their attention!!
Friday, November 7, 2008
The Big Blue Map
This is a map that I found on Balloon Juice and it shows where in the country people voted more Democratic than in 2004. There is a huge sea of blue on this map. Center right my ass!!!
Any candidate with real intelligence, judgment, and expertise would not support the policies of the Republican party platform, plain and simple. As long as those basic policies remain unchanged, the candidates who will succeed must be able to practice deep denial while acting with full confidence in their righteousness. This means the qualifications to be the GOP nominee are mostly ones of psychological imbalance and theatrical skill. To change that situation, the entire policy agenda of the Republican party would have to change, and that simply isn’t going to happen.
This may explain how the talking heads are just paid whores and the politicians are in it for the power along with the personal enrichment.
Donkey Handing the Elephant His Ass
No words are needed, like the old saying says, a picture is worth a thousand words!!Thursday, November 6, 2008
Just Wondering??
Is it too late for somebody or somebodies to give Cheney and aWol blow jobs so we can Impeach them??????? Talk about your " ultimate sacrifice for your country"!!
Or do we have to wait for someone in another country to do a Pinochet job on them????????
Or do we have to wait for someone in another country to do a Pinochet job on them????????
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Countdown Calendar
Last Xmas or is it Winter Solstice Celebration, I got a countdown calendar as a present. It started with Jan. 1 this year and goes up to Jan. 20, 2009. Each day in the upper right corner is the number of days left until aWol is out of office. Each day there is an abuse of power or other absurdity committed by the Busheviks!! At first I was pissed, each day it was another insult to me and the country. Recently I noticed that the number was down below 90 and the thought occurred to me that maybe a short calendar would be appropriate.
When I was in the military, when someone reached the magic number of 100 days left in their enlistment or tour in 'Nam they would start a short calendar. Sometimes it would be like a paint-by-number painting with a space to color in each day and when it was finally done it would be a drawing of something, usually female.
Now that the end is getting nearer, my mood is improving i.e., I'm no longer as pissed when I rip off a page to change the date. That doesn't mean that I will ever forgive or forget!!
When I was in the military, when someone reached the magic number of 100 days left in their enlistment or tour in 'Nam they would start a short calendar. Sometimes it would be like a paint-by-number painting with a space to color in each day and when it was finally done it would be a drawing of something, usually female.
Now that the end is getting nearer, my mood is improving i.e., I'm no longer as pissed when I rip off a page to change the date. That doesn't mean that I will ever forgive or forget!!
Coincidence??
This morning when I reached in my t-shirt drawer for a t-shirt to wear, the one that came up in the rotation was one that said, "Winning Is Fun". The shirt has nothing to do with politics. I got the shirt at the Ameristar Casino in Council Bluffs, IA. Several years ago the casino was giving them away free.
Coincidence, serendipity, whatever, it kind of made me chuckle!! There are a lot of things that are making me smile today!!!
Coincidence, serendipity, whatever, it kind of made me chuckle!! There are a lot of things that are making me smile today!!!
Post-Election Thoughts
At this point in time CNN is showing Obama with 338 Electoral Votes. That is more than enough to win but still less than I would like. The fact that some states like VA, OH, IA and others that went for aWol before is a good start, but there are still too many red states. The South needs to get their shit together or they will be marginalized. Not that is a bad thing!!!!
I guess I don't have to retire to Canada after all!! I really didn't want to move there because it has gotten way to difficult to cross the border after 9/11 and the Fascists that have been in power up 'til now. I remember back in the day when all you had to do crossing the border ( either Canada or Mexico, been to both ) was say where you were from!! Now you need a passport, your sperm count and who you voted for to get back into this country.
On CNN right now they are asking Powell what do the Repugnicans need to do now?? I say they need to kick the greedy bastards and the Bible-Bangers to the curb for a start. They need to start to do things for the people and not just for property!! If they are truly for small government, then they need to keep their noses out of people's personal lives!! The only place they are for small government right now is when it comes to regulating business. How's that been working???? They rail against Socialism and now we have nationalized Wall Street and the Banking Industry. What's up with that?????????????????????
There is some right-wingnut apologist ( Micheal Reagan) saying the party has gotten away from St. Ronnie's principles. Shit, what we have seen since St. Ronnie was elected is nothing but his principles in practice. That is the whole problem, the right-wingnut policies are what have fucked this country for almost three decades. We need to kick this party's ass so badly that they will become the Whigs of the 21st Century!! I have a dream!!!
I guess I don't have to retire to Canada after all!! I really didn't want to move there because it has gotten way to difficult to cross the border after 9/11 and the Fascists that have been in power up 'til now. I remember back in the day when all you had to do crossing the border ( either Canada or Mexico, been to both ) was say where you were from!! Now you need a passport, your sperm count and who you voted for to get back into this country.
On CNN right now they are asking Powell what do the Repugnicans need to do now?? I say they need to kick the greedy bastards and the Bible-Bangers to the curb for a start. They need to start to do things for the people and not just for property!! If they are truly for small government, then they need to keep their noses out of people's personal lives!! The only place they are for small government right now is when it comes to regulating business. How's that been working???? They rail against Socialism and now we have nationalized Wall Street and the Banking Industry. What's up with that?????????????????????
There is some right-wingnut apologist ( Micheal Reagan) saying the party has gotten away from St. Ronnie's principles. Shit, what we have seen since St. Ronnie was elected is nothing but his principles in practice. That is the whole problem, the right-wingnut policies are what have fucked this country for almost three decades. We need to kick this party's ass so badly that they will become the Whigs of the 21st Century!! I have a dream!!!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Authoritarian Conservatives
John Dean (yes that John Dean from Watergate) has an article at FindLaw's Writ on authoritarian conservatives. The lists of characteristics for the leaders and followers seem to hit the nail on the head. This paragraph pretty well sums it up.
If Obama is rejected on November 4th for another authoritarian conservative like McCain, I must ask if Americans are sufficiently intelligent to competently govern themselves. I can understand authoritarian conservatives voting for McCain, for they know no better. It is well-understood that most everyone votes with his or her heart, not his or her head. Polls show that 81 percent of Americans "feel" (in their hearts and their heads) that our country is going the wrong way. How could anyone with such thoughts and feelings vote for more authoritarian conservatism, which has done so much to take the nation in the wrong direction?
We will all find out on (or about) November 5th.
Who would have thought that John Dean would be one of the good guys??
If Obama is rejected on November 4th for another authoritarian conservative like McCain, I must ask if Americans are sufficiently intelligent to competently govern themselves. I can understand authoritarian conservatives voting for McCain, for they know no better. It is well-understood that most everyone votes with his or her heart, not his or her head. Polls show that 81 percent of Americans "feel" (in their hearts and their heads) that our country is going the wrong way. How could anyone with such thoughts and feelings vote for more authoritarian conservatism, which has done so much to take the nation in the wrong direction?
We will all find out on (or about) November 5th.
Who would have thought that John Dean would be one of the good guys??
Monday, November 3, 2008
Flying Spaghetti Monster
A couple of years ago The Old Lady got an e-mail with a link to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. She sent the link to me with a note saying I think I found my religion. I checked it out and after looking it over decided that they may have something. Any religion that promises that in heaven there will be strippers and free beer, I can get behind that. The fact that the strippers are of both genders means that nobody will be left out.
There is a chart that shows how as the number of pirates went down, global warming went up.
T-shirt
For some reason, the Old Lady doesn't want to be seen in public with me when I wear this t-shirt. No sense of humor.I like to think it shows that Absolut Vodka is filtered thru a moose. Or maybe that Absolut is moose piss. Hey, send a couple of bottles to Saracuda. I seem to remember that she has a thing for moose.
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