Who is this unmasked man?

Darling you give love a bad name.

One of the basic concepts around the governmental murders at Waco that threw me into a mental tailspin was the idea that parents actually prostituted their children. Could an individual have such a mental grip on the flock that they would readily hand over their most treasured loved one for supernatural experiments in depravity? Sadly, it seems so.

The picture above is of a Mr. Warren Jeffs and aside from the clear suspicion one must have when another has 3 first names this is an individual who made a pact with the devil, and the devil reneged. He is founder of the Mormon Fundamentalist Polygamist sect of the Latter Day Saints. (Don't you just know that Mitt Romney shit a brick when the following news surfaced!) Mr. Jeffs ruled with a iron fist condoned via dictate from God describing himself as "President and Prophet, Seer and Revelator." Apparently the 'seer' part meant he enjoyed seeing full grown men married to underage girls by way of the power vested in him. Who are these grown men and why hasn't someone put a boot in their ass prior to destroying these girls' lives? Again, where are the parents and why are they not hanging from a noose in the town square?
Apparently if newly betrothed acted in ways unpleasing to Mr.Jeffs he would 'reassign' wives in duck-duck-goose fashion. Though the wife reassignment may be joked about as being desirous in better than half of all current marriages in this case it is clearly a sect of slavery. It seems that either Mr. Jeffs is quite persuasive; the flock gullible, or perhaps both.

Another aspect of this case that is disturbing is the fact it reinforces the negative idea of polygamy. How consenting adults choose to fashion their personal lives is their business, not ours. What happens behind closed doors with consenting adults is part of what liberty is all about. So long as your rights are not being violated in any way there is nothing to go whining to government about. Just because the public at large does not like the idea of a man having several wives (some might just pity) it's important to remember that no Constitutional tenet is being violated. This is a fine example of how perilous Democracy is and how utterly opposed to individual freedom the term really is.

Speaking of Democracy, we hear that word being used all the time in efforts to bring middle east knuckle draggers to the 21st century. It's bandied about willy-nilly by most candidates running for office exemplifying their utter ignorance of our national foundation. Frighteningly, it is also taught as being laudable in the public schools.
If not for the new beginning philosophy of a one world government, what is the purpose?

Likely the only thing Mr. Jeffs ever got right in his ugly existence was the practice that there wasn't a show of hands in the group to decide on matters. Naked tyranny, as he demonstrated so well, is an awful situation. Clothed tyranny, as the world is slowly showing through Democracy, or majority rule, is equally as disturbing. Though not as clearly linked as I would have liked, having limited sleep this weekend, I hope to have linked Democracy and Mr. Jeffs in an insidious meme in every reader's head. Sadly, the readers that frequent here already know this and in most cases it's just like preaching to choir.

Author unknown, I have always loved this line which makes for a great sound byte in our short-attention spanned country: Democracy is 3 wolves and a sheep, voting on what's for dinner.

Writing Shmiting

It's qualude-strength downer when in some of the books I read the prose are so damned good that it makes me feel ridiculous posting my thoughts to this blog. Or assembling them in writing anywhere else. While I do write for me, it is rewarding having other people read even if they are too chicken to post a comment here but rather leave me well thought out correspondence via email. Of the fabulous writers I encounter with legitimate, publishable paragraphs, the commonality among them is streamlining toward a idea generated zenith. This is too rigid for my manic and schizophrenic style and certainly would be foreboding should I desire anything of substance outside the confines of the safe haven here. For instance, in the 2012 book by Dan Pinchbeck he uses an entire chapter to display and disseminate things that are happening in and to the trancendental worldview and summarizes it thusly:

"If you believe the shadows are growing darker it is only because the light that cast them is growing brighter."

Fabulous. Taken out of context it would just be a well written line but within the parameters of the subject matter, and summary placement, it's spot-on. Why oh why was I born gorgeous with a stream of consciousness handicap?

Love on a two way street

As far as Patricia Santangelo is concerned the two way street means they're catching her coming, and going. She's the first victim in the highly publicized music industry's lawsuit for file sharing. Allegedly they found her actively sharing 1700 songs but out of the kindness of their hearts are only charging her for 8. Lest you believe that it's a good deal, by the time all the lawyer fees and 'dues' are paid she's staring at a whopper of a bill: $250,000. Ouch.

She claims ignorance about the use of file sharing programs but (un)lucky for her the children seem to be quite adept. Over the course of several years the kiddos managed to build quite an impressive directory of their favorite songs, no doubt uploaded to the other device mom knows nothing about but still purchased: the IPOD. Seems as though they're hanging this lady out to dry in an effort to scare everyone else by making an example of her for other parents, not the children. The music industry is well aware of the fact that somewhere near 90% of all music files swapped with the peer-to-peer software is done by minors. Cash poor and likely outside the scope of lawsuits the music industry is targeting the parents as opposed to the actual violators. What to do?

Screaming History

Back in the day there was no Blockbuster video store. The horror. We had to schlep to the movie theater and buy the outrageously priced goodies set at eye level for the hordes of four-footers in line to watch Rocky. As the digital age came alive suddenly VHS was all the rage where you could purchase the machine and rent movies to see in the comfort of your own home. I can still remember the draped off 'back room' where the more discerning movie viewer could quickly grab a movie with those cheesy titles (I'll make one up here: Suck-Cess) and head for checkout when the coast was clear. Of particular interest was watching the sheepish look on their faces while I deliberately asked if they found anything good while behind them in line. Nyuk nyuk. I digress. When the VHS came out Hollywood screamed blue murder. "It's the cancellation of our artistic license" and "We're going to stop producing movies as this will kill the industry." Eventually of course the rentals far outweighed the take during the time it was in the actual theater and along with other merchandising revolutionized the music industry with dollar signs from Here to Eternity.

After this the online movie rental began getting traction and once again we were hit with the screams of theft, industry decimation, and the like. Soon enough the ever resistant to change movie folks decided to capitalize (instead of whine) on the new format and set up NetFlix and other websites so potential viewers could pick and choose and have the movies delivered by mail. Sweet. Although they have to be forced to change at each new interval the music industry is an example of how to properly roll with punches. I'm looking forward to their answer to downloadable movies which is the next phase we're entering into now. After the shrieks we'll likely have a user-friendly interaction that's mutually beneficial as all free market enterprises end up being.

Impaired Vision

I've used the entertainment industry as only one example though there are many of entire industries remaining competitive in a rapidly changing market. Compare them to the hyper-litigious Music folks who haven't done a damn thing but complain about immoral file-sharers and bankrupt some poor mother...for starters. Instead of brainstorming and having the internet add to their bottom line they've decided to use overpriced and overpopulated lawyers to scare us into submission. This will fail.
Already there are bands breaking the traditional role of being subjugated by record labels and EMI by offering their music free of charge, sometimes entire albums. Some bands request pay if/what you are able. There's a giant article
here with an introduction stating 'Embrace digital or die, EMI told.' Also "Free can work for new bands, too. It is already two years since Arctic Monkeys were propelled into music history by a fanbase that had discovered their music through illegal file sharing. With nothing to lose, they embraced free music distribution via platforms such as MySpace and eventually found a way to sell records too."
"I want the people to own the music and the artists to own the copyright. Why let a record company get in the way of the music?" says Tim Burgess, the Charlatans' lead singer. The recommendation best suited to the collective music industry is to get someone under 20 on B.O.D. and explain how things work these days. Or talk to your own kids and let them create a plan for distribution they believe will work, or has worked, in their experience.

Part of the process in a court of law is proving what you allege actually took place. The only way I know to track an individual user is by their MAC address and it must be provided by the ISP. Even if they do hand it over what's to say that one didn't buy that computer used? Perhaps it had that material on it before they ever even opened Solitaire? On top of this there is bandwidth stealing, online electronic impersonation, wrongly represented file-sharing attributes, and the list goes on. Seems hard to believe that Ms. Santangelo had a digital rights lawyer represent her as any one of the above could have been in play if indeed her original story is authentic.

For the author here the whole brouhaha is inconsequential as I have never before been behind the movie rental curtain, never received ripped music, and have never tossed off to anything, ever.

Our Younguns

Here's a sampling of creative youthful English activities in action:

1. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

2. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.

3. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated
because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge
at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.

4. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a
bowling ball wouldn't.

5. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag
filled with vegetable soup.

6. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an
eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city
and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30

7. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.

8. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when
you fry them in hot grease.

9. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across
the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having
left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka
at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.

10. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who
had also never met.

11. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was
the East River.

12. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap,
only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.

13. Shots rang out, as shots are won't to do.

14. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil,
this plan just might work.

Curiosity of the Mundane & Mystical

You'll love the ending please get there naturally!

There's simply not enough time I thought while pumping gas and noticing the octane discrepancies. By rote my current car and all priors have received the safe bet 89 while I frowned on the 87 surmising it 'cheap' and scoffed at the 93 as a waste of money. Amazed that I hadn't really considered the differences and could possibly have saved lots of money over the years I continued on that thought stream estimating it would take about >20 hours of real research in order to get a reliable answer. Not gonna happen. No, I won't take Chevron's word for it, or virtually any other opinionholder on the matter. Pressing on, who the hell wants to spend their time studying whether Techron Ultra is any better than regular unleaded?

Meanwhile, back at the homestead, there's a stack of books on the nightstand delving into the Rig Veda, nymphs, extra-dimensional existences, di-methyl triptamine, and a host of other interesting topics deemed unfit for respected scientific inquiry. Likely there will be never be a satisfactory answer no matter how much scientifically obscene information is digested on these topics but they're certainly fascinating to learn about. I guess it's a matter of priorities but sometimes I wish there was the time and resources to satiate all the things I'm curious about instead of continually having to eat off the intellectual buffet.

The Bigger Picture

There is yet a person on the planet I have met who does not have an agenda, big or small. That means me, and especially you! Some people are boisterous about it, proselytizing, others somewhat passively aggressive, and still others set in their ways of formed opinion though never revealing it. The end result is that their way of thinking is the light at the end of the tunnel, if only you'd open your eyes wide enough to see it. With this in cynical mind the only reliable conclusions I can come to when there's time enough and adequate interest are those whose lineage are studied--past the wikipedia definition or one author's take on it. In comparison with the guy next to you, it has been said that if you read three books on any singular topic you are, in essence, an expert in that field. Seems reliable enough when I speak with a stranger about anything in my arsenal within those parameters.

Dinosaurs Roamed 65 Million Years Ago

Here's where the trouble begins. I have accepted as pure fact the time line asserted by years of incremental scientific building that Tyrannosaurus Rex was busy pooting and contributing to global warming an astonishing 65 million years ago. Why, if I can contrast a straw hut to a modern skyscraper clearly the evidence of application is plainly viewable. But what about the things we can't see? What of those we cannot fully understand?
The support of Carbon-based anything that is dated is based on, you guessed it, carbon dating! (God knows it beats online dating, but that's another story) So as to avoid a science lesson here which I'm ill-equipped to administer what I learned/remember is that a runaway Carbon Isotope, C-14, has specific properties of decay (entropy) with a half-life of 5500+ years. This means that after 5500 hundred years half the Carbon atom will remain and after another 5500 years yet another half will remain. The base is it's molecular weight which seems unchanged, and unchangeable lest it become something that isn't C-14. Scientist measure the degree of decay, taking into account terrain, weather, etc. and come up with a reasonable range for time of formation. Simple study of this will reveal that there's a finite (measurable) amount of C-14 such that it's usefulness as a terrestrial timepiece expires after 10 half lives, or roughly 60,000 years. As anyone who has learned basic mathematics will tell you the difference between 60,000 and 65,000,000 is considerable. What then is the basis for ascertaining something older than 60,000 years? I simply don't know. Furthermore I'm not sure how high in the aforementioned priorities list this might fall.

My point here is that without direct study I cannot personally ascribe a high degree of certainty or accuracy, much less immutable truth to Carbon dating. Nor can we discredit the idea out of hand, as I did only about a week ago, of the earth actually being 6,000 years old as reverse-timed by that Archbishop whose name escapes me. Understandably there's a degree of faith in the information we come across that we must heed, such as "well, it shows Bangladesh on the map, therefore it's there." I feel pretty comfortable in stating that yes, Bangladesh is a territory between India and Pakistan though I have no real evidence of its existence. It's the constant re-examining and unearthing of new information that needs to continually be verified that makes me, uh, crazy. It feels as though whatever idea or truism one holds is only a fleeting vision on the road to the 'true truth' soon to be overturned and overwhelmed. Maybe this is why I mostly delve into subjects whose truth is likely indiscoverable...where at best it only lends a probability in reality after investigating all the many informational tentacles required to reach some conclusion. Serenity now!

Prelude to 2012

I've got a heavy-D article stirring, grumbling from some unknown internal cavern in regards to our last year as nasty, ego-centric disconnected earthlings culminating on the winter solstice, 2012. Having the propensity to get carried away on a single, sometimes not so clearly related tangent, this should be the introduction---but it won't be. For the record, I'd be unable to resist giving him a right-proper squeeze. What would you do?

Song for my dawg

Scooter.

You'll never out-cute, the Scoot.
Not even Buffalo Bill with all his skill
or Superman, with any plan,
could ever out-cute the Scoot.

A daring pirate ship once up and robbered him
and what do you think the Scoot did?
He clobbered 'em.
With great finesse he more or less clobbered them

Given a fight to fight
a wrong to right
any time of the day or night
you'll never out-cute the Scoot!

Ron Paul, the man of reason.

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Witness nothing less than a landslide people. Attest to this political mauling. Shout it from the rooftops while the major American media volunteer a deaf ear. Even the creators of the poll, worldnetdaily, while honest enough to keep it there for the world to see had to make another 'suggestion' for who the real winner was according to 'accepted' opinion holders. Sneaky bastards. Read on and let's have an honest discussion before we forget what one looks like...

It has been so long since the American populace has been presented with a man of integrity and adherence to the law that I believe there's a bit of shell shock happening. Luckily folks seem to remember that there was a time in the country where the freakazoid politician was the exception, and not the rule such as it stands today.
The poll you see here was taken after the most recent presidential debate and published on 9/18/07. You may check www.wnd.com in their poll history to validate my veracity on the matter. This notwithstanding,the headliner was "Huckabee wins
Republican poll Garners 63% of delegates selected by leading activists." If that's the case, then not only is Worldnetdaily but also these 63% of 'leading activists' way out of touch with the pulse of the American Electorate. I have yet to understand why their opinion is more valuable than yours, assuming both you and the activists pay taxes, and that you both can read. Not going out on too far a limb here, I pray.

I have absolutely had it with media elections in our country telling us who our choices are to vote on and how these 'bottom tier' candidates do not have a chance. Screw you and the money that bought ya. When I'm done voting for the individual I believe will follow the Constitution and get the ever imposing, ever expanding Imperial Federal Government out of my life (and yours, btw) it's easy to look at myself in the mirror the next morning. How many times can we be shaken in our own hide and yet be proud of voting for the lesser of two evils? Even the lesser of two evils is still EVIL as evidenced by the continual moral and fiscal slide our country has been on. Lawlessness, as defined by breaking the very laws set out in the Constitution has run rampant in Washington as you, good reader, know all too well.

Back to the poll. This, in virtually every fair assessment is known as pummeling. Ron Paul has decimated the 'top tier' candidates you're told you'll have to vote for and will continue to do so. How long before we have the courage to effect REAL change in this country. Certainly there's not a dime's worth of difference in Democrats or Republicans and most people I speak with about this issue would agree to that. If you disagree, I welcome your comments below but please let's not have another Hyperbole hour with CNN as evidence for the contrast. Action by political parties and your assessment thereof is what we're looking for.
As I see it, it's just a matter of which party sinks the good ship America first. The graft-laden, corruption filled, and anything goes politicians have enjoyed their last days of abusing me, my fellow countrymen, the system and their positions. I vow to re-elect no-one. I don't care what color you are, how much you've 'accomplished' in your 30 years on the public dole, or what letter you assign yourself. And any freshman politician that thinks his new position is the start of a beautiful, profitable career will be bounced just as quickly. Gheesh, I feel like I've sprung into action. Perhaps it's true and if so it's because I can finally hear a politician on the world stage actually use the word freedom and know what it means. Ron Paul discusses Constitutional boundaries, and non-interventionalist foreign policy to ever present eye rolling of that free-speech hater McCain, or the pick-a-fight-for-publicity Guiliani. Heck, even the host at the Value Voters was following all the other interviewers who are, in my opinion, hostile to Ron Paul. Here's a clip from Fox News that is supposedly sympathetic to the conservative outlook:


In answer to the leading question on the Fox News Screen above asking "what do you think?" the answer is that I think the establishment is scared shitless of the man who seeks to restore liberty thus reducing federal control over all our lives and whose message resonates with every fair minded American who wants a better tomorrow.

Ties that Bind

When you consider your friendships could you not claim that there are some that make no sense at all while concurrently making perfect sense? For instance, what in the world does a 20 year old manchild and a 60+ year old woman have in common, much less to talk about? Whether outsiders understand or not, such are the situations in apparently more and more relationships that I speak to people about and so much the better, amen. Cross generational and cross-sectional bonds make for greater understanding, less conflict, and in general a more congealed society. My guess is that while reading this, a 'strange' friendship of your own has taken the foreground but alas, since this is my blog, you'll have to keep mum and see what similarities we may share with those strange persons that influence our lives.

I met H on a message board dedicated to our mutually shared disease. Naturally, people with rare conditions feel somewhat connected as only a fellow sufferer can actually *know* what you're going through. Don't be fooled though, there are a number of jackasses with this shared horror and some that I wish would be cured just so they'd go away! Miss H had a great pseudonym, and lively dialogue. I could recognize immediately her strong opinions with detailed support thereof so the imp in me just had to see how convicted she was. Tit for tat we bandied about subjects in view of the whole message board but were respectful of each other, particularly with disagreements. Some time later the one or two bad seeds had pissed Miss H off to the point where she no longer cared to be a part of the community. Ruh roh. Being one of the few posters whose themes and righteous indignations I came to rely on suddenly vanished. Luckily, I tracked her down in the private messages we're able to send and then finally to actual, personal email.

That was a hearty 3 years ago! I think barely a week has gone by where we have not talked about something, nothing, or everything in-between. I have only a vague idea of what she looks like and am positively clueless about body language and facial gestures. But ask me what makes her tick or how she's likely to react to world events and I can give a detailed, accurate account in most any scenario. Isn't part of being a friend knowing that person from the inside and enjoying what you see? Sometimes I lament the 1,000 miles between us although the relationship would, by necessity, change with proximity and I cherish this friendship exactly how it is. Plus, any time as a youngster I thought I could make the radio, or fish tank filter, or remote control car work better by disassembling it seldom worked out that way. After all, she could be chronic nose picker, have long black ear hair or any other number of issues too frightening to speculate on. Not surprisingly none of that would matter one iota. I respect her mind, am occasionally awed by her heart, and am fortunate beyond my worth to proudly call you "friend" Heather.


P.S. Even though she hates smiley faces I'm confident with this giant one here (an accumulation of the times throughout the years when I wanted to put one in correspondence but didn't) there's a 'get out of jail free' card just waiting for me!

Bumper Sticker

What? I'm not married? Oh yeah, that's right. But if I were, I'd surely love my wife who would be the apple of my eye. I'd leave little notes on the inside of the coffee maker and deliberately (naturally) sleep later that morning. Maybe put an image of a mutually agreed upon bad person on the underside of the toilet bowl seat like Debbie & I did with Bill Clinton in the 90's. Where is all this going?
There is a bumper sticker on several cars roaming around here in Atlanta that look almost identical to the image here. Seems they're from the
Promise Keepers which is a heavily religiously based organization with good intentions. Those are 'good intentions' in case you missed it the first time. As a normally quite opinionated fellow I simply can't seem to wrap my brain around what I think about someone putting this sticker on their car, and worse yet, how I feel about seeing such things in traffic.

Pros & Cons

Pro
On the positive side I like the idea of monogamy and support marriage, in whatever form two consenting adults agree to. I remember not too long ago being touched as I was driving past a local park at the requisite 25mph allowing for plenty of viewing time. There was an elderly couple, both portly, having to strain their necks just a bit over the middle in order to get a quick peck on the lips. It seemed as if they'd been together for years and likely used a pet phrase such as "gimme some sugar" or other queue that only the two of them know like "Jimmy's got a pet monkey". In any event, it restored a bit of my faith in the institution in that 10 seconds serving as a softening agent for my heretofore brittle outlook.
If you love your wife the world is your oyster and what harm is there in letting the world know in this small way? If not, you may find the very idea of a bumper sticker saying such as anathema to good taste and the hypocrisy too overwhelming.

Con
Just how whipped can one man be? Or is the home life such that the message isn't getting across as it should whereas a bumper sticker will allay all doubt? Part of the reasoning may be in just who decides to purchase the sticker and for what reason. C'mon gals, if your hubby purchased one on his own volition and put in on his car or truck, wouldn't that be sweet? Sweeter still if you told him he didn't need it there and please remove it, toot sweet my sweet!

The troublemaker in me dreams of a mass mailing to all houses in my zip code! Imagine the fun. Then I'll keep one eye on the cars and the other on divorce court which I believe is public record. I'm certain there will be a lawyer or two not beyond generating themselves a fresh crop utilizing such tactics eh? It's not the sticker itself that'll cause a rift but rather a potential argument over it and the ensuing issues that are sure to pop up. You know, the ones where the boat only tips if it's spoken about.

Help your host out with an intemperate thought or two as you may post anonymously, multiple times even. Your comments are the only rewards I get for this labor of love and sans Samantha you're all being put in time out!

Well this is sweet

Thankfully the picture is dark and rotten, sound has an annoying hummmm in the background and I could always deny that this was me by the looks of it. That beard though, it looks mighty burly. Maybe I could loan some testosterone to John Edwards, who could surely use it.

Yesterday was 'test music' day on the blog and today, clearly, it's video. Tomorrow, I'll attempt to upload my consciousness to live forever through the new Earth masters, the machines. Really it's only a matter of time and mankind can be viewed as Gods themselves, having created a new species, if you will. A sentient computer, or one that is self-aware we assume will have a desire for continued life and may assess threats to it's existence. That's bad news for us.

To Serve and Protect

To serve an ego and protect the county coffers.

The Scene: A business is moving from a commercial location with moving trucks in the parking lot and bunches of sweaty desk jockeys with that look of "I didn't sign up for this" in their eyes. There are 6 cars all parked facing the closed store with furniture and the like being hauled between the front door and the back of the moving van. Hold me back!

The Victim: Steve. Although arguably he has had a black cloud over his middle aged head with barely a trace of balding for oh, maybe a decade, this was completely out of line.

Background: The building is quite old and surprisingly the handicapped parking spot is the one the furthest from the front door. Perhaps years ago crutches were made better. Go figure. The sign has been weathered and the blue line is barely visible but still and all, it's a revered handicapped parking spot.

The Sadist: A four year old could have seen what was going on but that didn't stop Johnny Law this day. No sir. By God there's a car in a blue spot and I don't give a rat's ass what's going on in this private parking lot with store closed. When I see a violation (gasp) of this magnitude you better expect to be ticketed promptly, chattel.

The Damage: That'll be $120.00 dollars.

The Insult: "If you don't move this car now I'll write you another ticket." ..as Steve was heading back inside to get his keys. (Although we didn't hear him say "beeyotch" at the end we sure did feel it)

Summary: It's reasons such as this that police carp about the little respect they so richly deserve. Prick.

Adult Highlights

I found this image on the BBC which is a decent read if you believe that by virtue of your breathing you may enjoy a God-given right to the labor and output of other men through compulsory means. If not, I commend your individuality and invite you to simply enjoy the unintentional porn in this shot, iffn' you can find it!

I guess it was a 'futurist' that named the Polar Bear Knut.

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FED-up

Whosoever shall be found without the soul for getting down (on their knees) shall stand and face the hounds of hell in the form of the new, user-friendly IRS.

Hmmm...I thought that old Michael Jackson tune had a different ending but so far as the Brown's are concerned it's a way of life these days and suitable to our purposes here.
The IRS declares that Ed and Elaine Brown, pictured here, are in arrears on their tax bill to the tune of 1.5 million dollars. Indeed, the Browns are happy to pay this bill inclusive of all the penalties and interest if the tax man would be so kind as to show them the compulsory law. Thus far, no literature has been forthcoming but the threats and intimidation are seemingly in limitless supply.

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Media manipulation for the purposes of painting the Brown's as evil, dastardly citizens has been quite the challenge. We all remember the Branch Davidians at Waco but may not be so clear as to the details of the propaganda used to rally the hoi polloi behind the ATF. In the war of words do you recall that it wasn't the Branch Davidian Farm but rather the Branch Davidian Compound? The word Compound lends itself to a militaristic bent as does insertion of the word 'Bunker' used to describe what is best summed up as their barn. Or a church. I have visited this site and can attest to the veracity of this summation although not much was left standing when Janet Reno gave the order to murder our fellow citizens, children included. We were told about the horrors of the 'cult' and witnessed psychological harassment as Nancy Sinatra's 'Boots were made for Walking' was blasted across the loudspeaker day and night.

In the end, when public sentiment (I assume) had reached whatever level some bureaucrat thought acceptable CS nerve gas was injected into the building, gung-ho 20 year old's with automatic rifles mowed down whatever moved, and a giant fireball went barreling down the hallways incinerating everything in it's path. Indeed, CS gas is known to cause muscles to constrict in virtual immediacy and some smaller children were found broken in half, backward, where their heads were near the heels of their feet. In the gas chamber, at least one is strapped down first. When the hearings about the incident were in front of congressmen apparently the huge, brass front door made to be the marker of 'who shot first?' went missing according the FBI. How convenient.

In comparison, we have what I consider to be some quite ordinary looking Americans living in an ordinary town in extraordinary conditions. It's not so easy to make them out to be Satan's Spawn and there are some concerned neighbors willing to fight, armed if necessary, to be granted a Right of Redress of Grievances guaranteed in the Constitution and ignored in modern-day practice. The idea that we are compelled by the butt end of a rifle to comply with laws without support, taxation without representation, and government run amok is so far being a free people in a free society that we should all vigorously support the brave few who have decided that enough is enough. Dissension is part of the process to be addressed not smeared and subdued with threats of mortal injury. I hope this noble standoff is settled peaceably without need for a GPS to be embedded in the door.

Me Chinese, Me Play Joke

I've been concerned about China for some time particularly in reference to their discipline. The U.S. is their number one enemy, according to the Chinese ministry, and it seems they're assiduously preparing for a confrontation on all fronts, not just militarily. Now, preparing and actually engaging are two entirely different things but in the event of a shore invasion on Taiwan, or knocking out a spy satellite they're uncomfortable with, they'll be ready...and readier every day.
It was disturbing to pull my head out of the ground only to see our national sovereignty disappear before my very eyes. The Chinese decided to rattle the saber of liquidation of American Treasury Bills, bonds, to the tune of 1.5 Trillion, that's with a T folks. What it means, in essence, is that our economic health is no longer in our hands and they can, at any time decide to 'cash in' sending our economy in a downward spiral. To compensate, the Federal Reserve would be forced to just print money, since we left the gold standard (foolishly) years ago and replaced currency backing with 'I.O.U.'s. Terrific. What happens when the Fed just prints money, you say? Typically the result is interest rates in the nose bleed section, in double digits the likes of which would make even Jimmy Carter blush.
This is not a lesson on the economy, or economic policy, but rather a wake up call to those who value some semblance of security in this land by the lever-pullers in the House and Senate. To say they've failed miserably is an understatement of massive proportion and many times it takes years to uncover the effects of the incessant graft & corruption made manifest in our esteemed leaders.
I believe the threat of liquidation by China, and it is indeed a threat, is in response to a backlash against tainted imported Chinese goods. From dog food, to tooth paste, to children's toys to the hot-off-the-presses embalming fluid found in pajamas, the business practices of that country shall not be interfered with from a pesky American consumer. Plus, Washington dare not attempt to stifle the imports or add fuel to this fire lest their suicidal game of selling out the country to the highest bidder be revealed for one and all to see.
At least we know how honorable the Chinese are as the toy company president took his own life from the embarrassment of the public scandal. He certainly was not bumped off to give that appearance. Wink. Nod.
At the end of the day though it's not the fault of foreign countries for supporting our financial infrastructure in light of the heretofore stability of our currency. It's our fault for not saving individually, for spending and borrowing like there's no tomorrow on a national level, and not making our lawmakers accountable for all the unconstitutional giveaways that bankrupt the country but generate votes. It's all coming to a head and it's going to be very, very painful.

Back Breaka

The blisters have already purchased real estate on my hands with an expected move-in date of tomorrow, when I arise. The welcome committee will likely consist of creams, ointments, and the occasional pain-induced aggravated bitch-session. That's what ya get when working with cement, hammers and boards in 100 degree heat after a steady diet of paper-pushing.
Somewhere between hosing myself down and guzzling up vitamin water by the gallon I thought it'd be a good idea to get some exercise and haul 80lb dead-weight Quick-crete blocks to form support for new decking. The hammer was completely unforgiving as it shredded my tender skin thumbing it's nose at the tough-man work gloves. What a sissy I've become, I thought, testing out the ability to be ambidextrous and switch the hammer to whichever hand hurt less, at the moment. At least there was no webcam.

Jesus is it hot out here! I could even hear the shingles requesting a relocation package and one or two of them demanding hazardous work pay. It was heat-induced delerium that lasted a grueling 6 hours before finally releasing it's grip. Ultimately though, that evening, there was an odd sense of accomplishment and I thought about the word teleos, loosely translated from Greek into 'living as a thing is meant to' but then quickly dismissed that thought for fear it might be accurate!
Tonight I sleep like a baby with my baby hands and dream of keyboards, A/C, and a whole stack of paper just begging to be pushed.

Poppa's Best Boy

I can't imagine life without dogs. I don't think there has ever been a time that there weren't at least two, of wrestling size nearby to add their weight in gold to value of my life account.

The above picture is my best boy Scooter, who came with the name after being rescued from a bad environment having multiple homes and no one to commit to the responsibility for his care. He was called 'Homer' at the 2nd to last foster parent's home and while I like that name much better, as it seems more suitable, I just didn't have the heart to change the poor dog's name again. Certainly it's fun to incorporate all variations of his name including songs. There's the theme to Mission Impossible, using 'Scooter Pie' for the first three stacatto beats following up with 'good boy'--g'head, try it out--you know you want to!
Sadly the picture does not do him justice so I'll get creative and post a short video so the dear reader can experience his inimitable cuteness, straight on.

She's Simply Wuvwee

Haven't felt like a school-boy in what feels to be 100 years or more and was shocked, shocked I say, to encounter a gal that was so appealing I couldn't keep my eyes ON her. In situational happenstance fate demanded we interact for half an hour or so in a private setting and after 5 minutes I could already detect mild perspiration around the collar and slightly elevated BP. Is this a prelude to a heart attack? It was a peculiar feeling and thinking I can always rely on my golden tongue I had this unnerving worry that I ought not test it now. Brevity, lest you live to regret verbosity was echoing between my ears.

We used to semi-joke that "if you think there's something going on, there is" which was really a tribute to one's intuition insofar as if the idea crosses your mind there's likely an inherent trigger. Although we're talking about human chemistry an apt analogy might be if you're watching a movie and are suddenly aware that someone in the film is acting. It ought to never cross your mind, and seldom does, except when there's an actor so stark in their pitiful performance that you're jolted into this recognition.

I'm not sure where one's idea for what is womanly or manly stems from and indeed it's the topic for another discussion. But for my purposes here "Susan" was the epitome of what I would consider 'womanly.' There was an enchanting aura about her, stunningly attractive with the ease and grace of some majestic earthbound view with what seemed to be the perfect balance of assertive professional and Sunday couch snuggle bunny.
If I allowed myself closer proximity there's no doubt she would have smelled like fresh honeysuckle so I placed an imaginary separator between us in an effort not to inhale deeply in the nest of her flowing hair, and then get smacked.

Something interesting happened. For the lurkers who do not know me it should be known that generally I'm considered chivalrous and not just to outrage Patricia Ireland, which is an added bonus, but more just as evidence of an innate respect for women cultivated by my adolescent(and adult)respect for my own sister. I had truly decided to give her lots of social space employing Mr. separator but by the time I realized what was happening, thrust into cognition by the touch of her hand, I had reached up and was assisting her down 3 somewhat insecure wooden steps. There was no overt reaction on either part, just an old-fashioned pleasantry extended during discourse of whose subject I certainly cannot recall.

Then it happened again but with a much more telling feature. This time there were 3 brick steps, obviously sound in their structure but perhaps a bit narrow. Upon reaching the bottom my hand instinctively arose and while she could have traversed them easily in the time it took to reorganize, she scurried to free a hand which was bogged down with papers, folders, etc in an effort, I believe, to thank me for the gesture. Awwwww.

It would be impossible, in my view, for a woman such as this to not be the apple of someone's eye homicidally jealous with tree-trunk sized biceps. Even so the warm feeling I got in the many times I found my mind wandering to the memory today may just be worth....well, something more than I would normally sacrifice to get to know her. Plus, she never spit, even once! Is this a keeper or what?

Your Feind and Mine

Did you know that in the IRS employees handbook there is a description of how to collect taxes after a nuclear war? Imagine having survived, standing there with your hair falling out and skin glowing in a light shade of green...when suddenly this bloodsucker arrives, likely armed, to take some of your worthless money or confiscated property/food for the government! There was once a time, in the good old days, when the tax collector would come by and be promptly tarred and feathered by the townsfolk never to extort that pound of flesh again.

Enough is enough of these predators somehow subverting the old axiom of 'can't get blood from a stone' by doing just that. Main problem: you're a stone buddy. Let's implement the fairtax, swiftly.

The Snoop

Engaged in quite unsavory computer detective work today. The subject is an out of control 16 year old girl (redundant, I know) causing her mother incredible amounts of angst. Had she been 18 I would have declined the work based on privacy issues but as a minor I can justify the search for images, videos, nasty text and the like in an effort to rescue her from the inevitable pregnancy.

Surprisingly when I did encounter some more salacious material I realized that I had, in no way, any desire to actually route through it. Instead, I simply copied all the stuff to a flash drive and let the mom do what she thought best. I did however have a dry-heave reaction to her written words, if it's still English that we all speak. I can let slide the acronyms such as JIK, OMG, WTF, but the handling of basic sentence structure is horrific! Here's some copy:

him and joycelyn had been
broken up for like 3 months and so he was explaining about her and
everything and then when we're the mall i guess she stalked his page or
something and saw i was hanging with him and she FLIPPED HER SHIT and called
him and was like wtf! and then left him a comment...

Perhaps when we're old these will be the 'adults' who take care of us, man the
government offices, and generally decide the direction of the country. Comfortable?