Last minute holiday notes

It's been over a week since my last post.  Usually I don't go that long but things have been very busy.

I like it that way lest, "Jim becomes a dull boy."

I have almost completed my holiday shopping.  My wife likes magazines in the checkout line so, I bought a bunch of those for stocking-stuffers.  That was way more embarrassing that I had anticipated.

I am a big-time carnivore, however, I am thinking of changing my ways.  I have recently been eating Morning Star Foods vegetarian things and they are great!  Try the riblets or the chipotle/bean burgers.  Way better than meat.

The Republican party is faced with the Start Treaty.  This is an agreement to limit nuclear arms. It has been through 17 committees since last April.  Every living Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and National Security Adviser supports this treaty.  What do the Republicans say about this bill they have had on their desk for 8 months?

"We don't like this being pushed down our throats at the last minute."

You have got to be kidding me!!!

This is not the same as their stance on health care which is basically: Let the poor die.  Nor is it the same as their stance on extending tax breaks: More money for the rich using borrowed cash.  Nor is it the same as their stance on the dream act: Let them fight our wars but "No citizenship for you!"  Nor is this the same as the overall hypocrisy of: Lower spending but give money to the rich while building up the national debt in spite of what 100% of economists think.

No, this is about the End of the World.

That's what nuclear arms promise.

Albert Einstein said, "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

Christmas is just around the corner.  I love this time of year.  My kids are coming over this Wednesday night.  Everyone has to bring some Christmas candy/cookies that they made.  Then, when we are all sufficiently buzzed from all the sugar, we'll sit and watch It's a Wonderful Life.  We do this every year.

Christmas day I am off to Hungary.  From there, I go to Austria for three days of snowboarding.  Sounds exotic but Austria is really only about 4 hours away ( 2 hours to they border).

I watched a great movie yesterday.  The Fighter.  I give it four out of four stars.  Christian Bale will win the Academy Award for best supporting actor.  You heard it here first.  However, I expect Jeff Bridges to be over the top in True Grit for Best Actor of the year.

As for acting, I have a pretend world to save.

Up, up and away...

Jim

My Platform

Here is what I believe in...

Long slow kisses that last for....whoops, I slipped into my Bull Durham mode.

Second try...

Everyone should start their day with a song that makes them feel happy.

Tax cuts for the rich, paid for with borrowed money is ridiculous.

Smoking in public should be banned unless the smoker is wearing a smoking helmet which allows him to carry his cloud of smoke around with him.

I'm in favor of extending unemployment so long as the unemployment rate is above 8%.

I think we should each greet each other when we pass in the street.

I believe Obama made a mistake by negotiating without his party being involved.

Popeye's chicken is way better than KFC.

I think an expired tax cut that is replaced in February with a new tax cut for the middle/lower class and made retroactive is the same as extending a tax cut but without the taxes for the rich.

I think the Hertz rental service at the Chicago airport is the worse in the country.

Peanuts is the best comic strip out there; but the Far Side is a close second.

I'm in favor of repealing the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy that is so foolish as to be embarrassing to me.

I think I was lucky to be born American.  It was luck.  I didn't earn it and have no feeling of "I deserve it."

The Dream Act, an immigration bill, is a great idea; one of many being held hostage by the GOP.

NEVER negotiate with terrorists.

Wesley is right, the scrambled eggs at Hampton Inns are terrible.  However, they (Hampton Inns, not the scrambled eggs) make great biscuits and gravy.

I'm convinced the Republican Party is made up of rich people trying to make themselves richer and they believe the rest of us are not smart enough to notice.

Obama has what it takes to do the job.  He just hasn't figured it out yet.

Building a fence to keep out Mexico is the dumbest idea since "Don't ask Don't tell."

We owe it to Mexico to fight their drug battles.  After all, we are the market that is supporting those drug lords.

300 is the best movie ever...after the Sound of Music.

I love coaching wrestling, watching college football live and listening to baseball on the radio.

I think every man wants to find a Jeep Wrangler under the tree this year; even if he doesn't know it.

I love Christmas music and the holiday season in general.

I think my mental state is closely linked to my physical state and visa-versa.

George W. was a worse president than most think.  George H. was better than most think.

I think we need an Energy Policy and a Manufacturing Policy.  Start building those nuclear power plants.  Electric cars don't run on air.

I love watching my dog (the one in Hungary) play in the snow.  She's a good girl.

Family Guy is really, really funny.

Without heroes, the world would be in big trouble.

Up, up and away...

Jim

Cave-Man

Obama caved. 

The Republican party was willing to let everyone's taxes go up and let the unemployed lose their income.

Their terms: Give a tax break to the rich, at a $750 billion cost, paid for by money borrowed from China.  In return, they would approve tax breaks for the poor and middle class and an extension of unemployment benefits.

Obama gave in and, in doing so, lost my vote.

He could have simply let all the tax cuts expire along with unemployment and then introduce new legislation in January - but he couldn't handle the pressure of the MINORITY party.

I find myself wishing that California had  a Republican senator so I could call him up and tell him he's fired.

Other news: Dandy Don Meredith passed away.  I grew up on Monday Night Football with Dandy Don, Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford. 

Now for some math:    Chicago = Traffic

Two hours to drive the 15 miles from the airport to my hotel.  And don't get me going on the Arctic temperatures.  What were the first settlers here thinking?  "Wow!  Look at all that beaver, Ma.  It's frozen clear through. This must be the promised land."

I saw a book about Glen Beck called Tears of a Clown.  I like that.

Next weekend is the Army/Navy football game.  It's the only college football game on that weekend.


I know this is short but traffic cut into my schedule and I have a world waiting to be saved.

Up, up and away.

Jim

Batboy Fantasy

I think it’s time to admit why there are so many bad drivers out there.  I have a faulty classification system.  Basically, it comes down to this: if you are not driving exactly the way I want you to drive at exactly that point in time, you are a bad driver.

Ahhhh.  Confession can be so good for the soul.

I finally hooked up with my Hungarian friend for dinner last night.  Somehow, we got to talking about how we hold some people up as superior to others simply because they get more air time.  We look at sports figures, actors and politicians as if they are somehow, wiser and more capable than for example, the person serving our pizza.  Sarah Palin is a perfect example.  Nice legs – she’s on television a lot – let’s make her president.

Of course, they are just ordinary people.  We are all funny, boring, honest and deceitful.   We have petty jealousies and moments of unconditional love.  We embrace our friends and fantasize about how our enemies need to be “darted.”

Right now, I am having this fantasy where I am Robert De Niro playing Al Capone.  In this fantasy, I am walking around a table filled with politicians.  They sit nervously, knowing I have a baseball bat and am going to unleash in on the first person that says something stupid.

I walk and I listen.

Obama has something to say.  “I came out of my meeting with the GOP and they say they are willing to work with me.”

Not bad.  I keep my bat in its holster.  And I walk.

About 20 hours later, a representative from the GOP, the same group that said they would work with Obama, stands.  He has something to say.  “All 42 Republican senators have signed a letter to the president saying we will block all legislation until they extend the tax cuts to millionaires.”

He gets the bat.  It’s not pretty, but no one else speaks up.  They fear the bat.

No one wants to mention the fact that stalled legislation means no action on a Nutrition Bill for schools.  No one mentions the fact that a stalled legislation means no treaty with Russia, a longtime enemy that is sitting at the table ready to make peace.  No one is mentioning the $750 billion dollar price tag of giving the rich a tax break.  No one wants to stand up and say “We need to extend unemployment or 2 million people will have no food.”  As for national debt discussion – no one wants to talk about how to eat that elephant.

They don’t talk because they all fear the bat.

The GOP fears it because they know who they are; and they know I know it.  The Democrats fear the bat because it’s in their nature to be fearful.  This is what we get for electing eunuchs.

I want out of this fantasy. 

I understand that this is a problem with my classification system.  I know that bad politicians are only people that aren’t thinking the exact way I want them to think at that exact point in time.  I know this and yet…I carry a bat and circle the room.

This can be very distracting when there is a world to be saved.

Up, up and away…

Unburnable

I'm in Chicago tonight.  Just got in.

Lot's of traffic. They're lucky I left my road bazooka at home.  Nothing clears a road faster than wire-guided weapons systems.

I got a call from a friend of mine that is in town from Hungary.  It was a last minute thing and since he came all this way, I couldn't say no (sorry, Kimmy).  He left me an email that said "Millennium Station at 6:00 pm."  This is sort of like saying "Meet me in Oklahoma at 6:00 pm."  Turns out Millennium Station covers almost all of Chicago.

I found a place to park but then spent the next fifteen minutes trying to find my way out of the underground parking lot.  There were doors all over the place but every one of them was marked "emergency exit only."  So, if this 100% cement structure ever catches on fire, I can get out just about anywhere.  Since there wasn't so much as a puff of smoke, I ended up walking out the car entrance I drove in.  Base on the parking rate, it cost me about $10 just to make it out of the parking lot.

We never did hook up.  His cell phone had bad coverage so we never got it narrowed down to more than a few city blocks.  I walked around quite a bit then tossed in the towel.  No sooner had I driven my car out of the lot when he called.  Too late for me.  Maybe tomorrow.

On to politics.

The Republicans say they don't want to extend jobless benefits because they don't want to pass a spending bill that is not paid for.  In other words: "Why give money to people that can't afford to contribute to my campaign fund?"

The Republicans want to extend tax cuts for the ultra rich saying now is not the time to take money from people that are just scraping by.  In other words: "Keep giving money to those rich people that have fattened my campaign fund."

Take from the poor and give to the rich.  Add this to their other bag of tricks of catering to people's fears while pandering to their faith.

In an effort to be fair and balanced: Obama needs to grow a pair.  He walks out of a meeting with the GOP and says, "I think we can work together."  They walk out of the same meeting and say, "Taking away the tax cut from the rich is a non-starter".

Here, let me take a stab at a speech he should consider:

"There will be no extension of tax cuts for anyone.  There will be no extension of unemployment benefits.  If you have a problem with this, talk to the GOP.  Here is what I want, extend the benefits; extend the tax cut for low and middle incomes."

He won't do this because he is more of a coach than a leader.  I want him to lead, but I am starting to wonder if he has it in him.

Gays in the military.  The military says, "Go for it.  We have no problem."  The civilians in congress on the GOP side of the house are acting as if they have somehow been given wisdom in this area that supersedes the military's own view.  The Chairman of the JCS says do it and a GOP, whose biggest battle was as a substitute member of his college debate team wants to act like he knows better.

What are they afraid of?  To me its just homophobia.  I'll tell you what, I have a few gay friends and none of them have ever tried to kiss me.  I think the GOP is projecting their own belief that if they were ever in a foxhole with a gay man, they might want to have sex with him.  I truly believe the louder people complain about gays, in any situation, the more likely they are to be suppressing their own inclinations (not that there's anything wrong with that.)

It's been a busy month for me.  I wrote a novel, I posted to my main blog.  I created and posted several times to my wrestling blog and short story blog.  I have been on 10 planes and flown 25,000 miles.  I coach high school wrestling when I am in town.  I found 11 geochaches (look that up at www.geochaching.com).  I did my regular job.

And finally, had time to do my secret job - saving worlds.

Up, up and away.

jim

Panda Land

If you were to ask Stephen Cobert what the greatest threat facing America today is, he would probably tell you - bears.

I feel the same way, sort of.

I'm not afraid of bears, any more than I'm afraid of spiders...which I really am afraid of so maybe I am afraid of bears; but I digress.  No, I am afraid of Panda Bears.  More specifically, I am afraid of people that live near panda bears.  More specifically yet, I fear the Chinese.

Sort of.  My fear of the Chinese is a lot like my fear of the unknown.  We are all afraid of what's around that dark corner because it's an "unknown."  It might be a boogie man or maybe even a big spider; but so long as it's an unknown, we default to FEAR.

I won't be afraid of China for much longer though.  The reason for this is that pretty soon, we are all going to stand up and point at the land of Pandas and say, "The Emperor has no clothes."

That's right.  We will soon enough see that the conspiracy theorists finally got one right.  China is run by bad people.

Here is my evidence:

• North Korea has a Gross Domestic Product of about a dollar and eight-cents.  Yet, they threaten the free world with nuclear death constantly.  I doubt that they can pull that off, but I'm certain that they can bomb an island.  In fact, nearly 50% of the shells they fired at an island yesterday actually hit the island.  North Korea is run by a mad-man and controlled, completely - By the Chinese.
• Yesterday, a woman confessed to selling faulty Chinese micro-chips to the United States.  They were counterfeited in China.  I don't know if you have ever been to a FAB where they make micro-chips, but I have.  They are huge and expensive and if one is making counterfeit chips to sell to the United States, you can bet the Chinese government knows about it.
• Ericsson is a telecommunication company based in Stockholm.  Hericsson is the Chinese rip off of that same company.  They are trying to profit from having a name sound like a reputable company.  Go to their website and you will find all of the world's smart phones there.  They are made by Hericsson supposedly.  In reality, they are cheap copies of the most popular phones in the world.  China didn't invent them.  They copied them on the outside and stuffed the insides with cheap components.
• I bought a dental pick yesterday.  I wanted a good one but it cost $75 and there was a much cheaper one right next to it for only $25.  One was a brand name.  One came from China.  I bought the cheap one thinking, "How bad could it be?"  Well, I cleaned about three teeth before it stopped working.  Made in China.
• Don't even get me started about lead in toys.
• I can't even imagine complaining about the mayor of Bakersfield and then finding myself in jail.  That's what happens in China.

China is definitely taking a much bigger role on the world's stage.  This is actually their biggest problem.  They are no longer a land of mystery.  They are cheap, ruthless, deceitful and controlling on all levels.

Soon, we will no longer be able to pretend that they are otherwise.

Then, the world will be saved.

You're welcome.

Up, up and away...

A Bloodless Ascention

A little over a week ago, China was able to capture 15% of the world's internet traffic and route it through their domestic server. They maintained this for about 18 minutes.  During that time, they had access to everything from email addresses to encrypted military documents.

Make no mistake about it - China has made their entrance.

There are those that may think, "I'm not worried, out military is way stronger and decades more advanced."  While this is true, I would caution that this is only a passing situation.  And even if it weren't, even if we always maintained the world's largest military, that does not mean our position as The World's Superpower, is not in danger.

Those that know, know that economics determines who makes the rules.  I don't care how many guns you have.  If there are no jobs and you owe money to everyone, then you are in big trouble.

China grew its economy by using our system of free trade. The only problem is, they cheated.  They don't let the market determine the flow of money and goods.  The government subsidizes industries they want to grow.  They get the money for this by keeping about 1 billion people working for poverty level wages.

Now, this is not about, Don't buy Made In China because of the poor workers.  If the workers their don't like the way they are treated, let them rise up and take care of business.

No, this is about free trade not working because China is cheating. Here is an example;  In Eastern Europe, China is starting to take over all of the infrastructure for the telecommunication industry.  Local companies are losing bids to Chinese companies because the Chinese bids are so low.  For a European company to win a bid, they have to propose a price that is far less then their break even point.  The Chinese don't care if they lose money on the deal.  After all, they have plenty of slave labor that produce profits in other sectors.

So, China takes over Europe's telecommunications industry and they can take over the internet at will.

The real threat to us, is not the Chinese, however.  In India, they have this thing called a Manufacturing Policy.  It's a plan to grow and manage their country's manufacturing base. One of its key points is to foster education and innovation.  This is a real threat to our economy.  They actually plan on learning to do things better.  The Chinese don't care about better.  They are happy to copy your technology and sell it back to you at half price.  I consider that marginally sustainable.  However, there are now nearly a billion Indians that plan on "doing it better".  This is our specialty and they want in on it.

You may be wondering what our Manufacturing Policy is here in the United States.  We have none.  We talk a lot about rebuilding our manufacturing base when in reality, we've forgotten how to do things.  We've forgotten how to innovate.  Our parents built up some economic momentum and our children are riding the wave.

We are doomed if this is our plan for the future.

The solution and the biggest roadblock resides in Washington.  Politicians more interested in winning elections than in doing what is best for the country are our worst enemy and our only hope.

Then of course, there is me.  I'd pitch in but there is a world to save.

Up, up and away...

Jim

Not a Peanut M&M in sight.

Today is a travel day and nothing says “blog” like an entire day spent going from point A to point B.

It started off rough. 

It’s 4:30 in the morning and my wife is driving me to the Budapest airport.  We get caught off guard by an unexpected sign that basically says, “If you think you’re going to take this road to the airport, you are mistaken.”  No detour signs.  Nothing.

Fortunately, my wife saw a cab pulled over.  He would tell us how to get back on track.  Unfortunately, the reason he was pulled over was to relieve himself on the side of the road.  We discovered this when our car’s headlight lit him up for the entire world to see.

Now, I don’t want you to think Budapest is filled with diggers and fillers working on never ending road projects while cabbies carve their names into the snow.  It’s as modern as any other city which is to say, there are some parts that you should avoid.  Sort of like huge chunks of Philadelphia.

The airport is filled with “Security Theater” as the suits we all elect to office put on a show about stopping the illegal transportation of printer ink across international borders.

This is all so much B.S.  We act like the guy that stuffed the explosives into the ink cartridge is a criminal mastermind.  If that’s true, then I’m Einstein.

For example:  They limit the liquids you can bring onto a plane to 3 oz; as many 3 oz. containers as you can cram into a one gallon bag.  I think this is because it takes TWO gallons of shampoo to make a bomb.  Three seconds after I heard this, I thought, “Why don’t the terrorists just buy an extra plane ticket?”  Two terrorists can bring on twice as much shampoo, or toothpaste or whatever the TSA is afraid of today.

It’s not like there is a shortage of people that want to kill other people.  The reward is pretty high.  Seventy-five virgins is quite the jackpot to someone that has had a steady diet of mobile black tents with eyeholes.

Here is why I think they’ve taken a “pass” on the two-ticket option: Virgin shortage.  I have no idea where they find 75 virgins to begin with; I don’t care who’s in charge of the afterlife. 

Speaking of which, what are the chances of a Higher Power creating a world full of people so they will kill each other?  Do these guys think they get to heaven and there is God saying, “Thanks for killing those innocent people.  I never did like those women and children to begin with.  Help yourself to some virgins.  Showers are down the hall to the right.”

By the way, what do the female suicide bombers get?  Are they lesbians looking forward to Virgin City or do they get some Chippendale action?

As I write this there is a huge woman sitting next to me. It’s six hours into my flight and she has spent the entire trip bitching at her husband or scolding her 3-year old daughter.   She treats the flight attendants like slaves.

Where is my dart gun when I need it?

I land in Chicago in a few more hours.  Home of the Clements, including a daughter that I hear is destined to be a famous actress.  Sarah, you go girl! (She can only read this paragraph by the way)

And later…

I am finally at my hotel – 20 hours door to door.

I got stuck at Chicago customs.  There had to be over a thousand people in line.  Really.  I looked around and asked myself, “Is this really the best we can do?”  Now I know why we are sending jobs overseas.  We don’t know how to do anything anymore.

I stand in line and answer questions like, “Where have you been?” and “Did you bring a bazooka with you?” (Actually, I made up that bazooka part but I could tell he wanted to ask.)

Chicago is where most of us Super Heroes gather.  Look for us at a Popeye’s Chicken near you.  We will be the ones stuffing our faces as we plan on ways to save the world.

Up, up and away…

jim

Dust to Dust

We buried a judge today.

Her name was Maria and she served as a judge in Budapest for forty years; more than twenty of those years as a member of the Hungarian Supreme Court.  She died on November 1st; Dead Man's day.

How did I come to attend this event?

Maria is my wife's brother's mother-in-law.

She was more than a judge.  She was a wife, a mother, and a grandmother.  I didn't know her very well, having only met her a couple of times.  The second time we met was when I went with my wife to their home.  They gave me a present for my 50th birthday.  It felt to me as if they were saying, "You are part of our family."

The funeral was moving as expected.  A gray sky hovered over black coats and dresses.  There were couple of hundred people and lot of flowers.  She was obviously very well loved.  During the ceremony, a man read the story of her life.  I don't speak Hungarian so I'm not sure what it all entailed but, her being a judge  makes me think that she'd accomplished a lot in her life.

She was a small woman, not one you would necessarily notice on the street.  And if you failed to do so, it would be your loss.

As I watched others during the ceremony, I tried to feel the grief, if only for a moment, that others closest to her felt.  It was a very moving experience.  A husband that would probably give anything for just a few more hours with his wife; a granddaughter in law school who was going to study Civil Law with her grandmother next semester; A daughter whose mom was always there and who still is but on a different plane.

Funerals seem to be such a final step.  It's as if some of us may have been hoping the entire death was a nightmare and we need the ceremony to make us finally understand, the end is here.  For her - it's here.

So much life is lost when one dies.  How is it that we can ever hope to come to terms with such a thing.  If we are what our experiences have made us, then when we die, all that remains is what others experienced with us or through us.  This can only be a small portion of what one actually was.

The loss of Maria, like all losses, was huge.  Maybe not to you, and maybe not to me.  But to those that knew her well, it is a heavy burden to bear. I've lost loved ones in the past.  It hurts and there is no end in sight.  That is part of the pain, the illusion that you will suffer the loss at that initial grief level forever.

This is why we have funerals.  We have them for the closure.  We also have them to share our grief with each other; so we can take turns being strong for each other when even the strongest amongst us is sometimes too weak.

I believe there is one reason above all others for having such a ceremony.

We have them because we don't know what else to do.

It rained today, but just enough for us to appreciate it when it stopped.

We buried a judge today; under a cloudy, but mostly dry sky.  Then afterward, the heavens wept.

To Maria, I say...

Up, up and away...

The Dart Gun Option

I think we should have a rule.  One time in everyone's life, they should be given a chance to shoot a dart into the neck of someone, anyone.  You wouldn't need to have a reason.  Now the dart can be a tranquilizer dart but I don't think that is necessary.

For example, I would use my turn to shoot a dart into the neck of Eric Cantor, a Republican from Virginia.  My dart would have a potion that would make him tell the truth for just five minutes.

Before:  Obamacare is going to bankrupt the country. I am going to fight to repeal it.

After: I have no idea about the long term impact of the New Health Care plan but I understand the good intentions that went into it.  There are several things about it that are good and some that probably shouldn't be in there.  Additionally, I think we should add a few things. The only reason I am calling it Obamacare and saying I am going to repeal it is because it gets me air time on television and makes me famous.  It also brings in lots and lots of money from Insurance companies.  I really don't care if you have affordable health care or not, just so long as I am okay.  Thanks for asking.

Keep an eye on this guy.  He is going to be the Majority Leader in the House when Boehner becomes Speaker.  Watch how he answers question...or doesn't.

My plan on health care:  Keep it but, drop the part that makes states pay for those that don't have insurance.  Also, add in some tort reform.  Ask your doctor what his single biggest cost is and he will tell you Malpractice Insurance.  There is an even bigger, hidden cost.  To keep malpractice insurance low, they perform all sorts of needless tests just in case.  I think that every medical symptom should have a list of things to test for.  So long as you follow that list, you are immune from prosecution.  Don't follow the list, lose your job or go to jail or something.

Right now, a doctor can cut off the wrong foot and his insurance will pay out millions.  His rates go up and we all end up paying for the missing foot.  Meanwhile, a guy with a missing foot is now rich.  We pretend the money equals a foot.  There has to be a better way.

On to more important things...

There are two shows over here, in Budapest, that are the equivalent of American Idol.  Now, I never watch shows like this but my wife does so, I am a viewer by default.  There was a sing-off between two women.  The loser would be kicked off the island, or show or something like that.  They sang.  One was good, the other sounded like an injured bloodhound.  The injured bloodhound won.

Now, I know nothing about singing but I can tell when someone forgets words or can't hit the high notes.  This was such an obvious miscarriage of justice.  I couldn't believe what had happened.

The next day, we are having a lunch gathering and the big subject was how this show kicked off the wrong woman.  We started saying stuff like "this show lacks credibility" or "this show won't last if they keep cheating."  Then it hits me.  The show did this on purpose.

By doing what they did, keeping the bloodhound, they managed to draw even me into the drama.  Everyone was talking about their show.  Everyone was already planning to watch the next one to see what other travesty would happen.

Brilliant.

On a final note, have a good day.  I don't mean that in a "pre-packaged" good-bye sort of way.  I really mean it.  Have your morning coffee and read the comics.  Listen to your favorite song on the way to work and say hi to someone you've been thinking about but haven't gotten around to.  Help someone across the street and yield the right of way.  Hold open a door and complement someone.  And, just for today, keep your dart gun in its holster.

Until we all do these things, all of the time, I will be busy...world saving.

Up, up and away.

Future Tripping

Okay, the results are in and the GOP has taken control of the lower house.

What does this mean for you and me?  Well for one thing, tanning will become much more fashionable.  Secondly, almost nothing.

The GOP is already calling for a repeal of Health Care Reform.  They call it ObamaCare because it sounds like one man did this, not a majority elected by you and I.  CNN was interviewing a GOP senator this morning and said, "Half of all Americans want health care reform.  You don't have the votes to repeal it and even if you did, you couldn't override a veto.  The Democrats are willing to work with you.  So what is your plan?"

The answer was, "This vote was about health care (in spite of the fact that nearly 80% said it was about jobs) and I believe in the American people."  He then stopped as if he had answered the question.

Next, CNN asked about what the GOP would cut.  The answer, "This election was about fiscal responsibility.  We need to give tax break to ALL Americans (ignoring the fact that most economists say tax cuts should not be given from borrowed money)"  Once again, he stopped, pretending to have answered the question.

So here comes my prediction.

Nothing is going to happen.  The GOP will introduce bill after bill to repeal this or that and nothing will pass.

This is actually good news.  Here is why:

1. Nancy Pelosi is out and hopefully won't be back.  She was completely ineffectual
2. The GOP will have to try and get stuff done.  This is a new idea to them.
3. The GOP will fail and have no one to blame but themselves.
4. Two years from now, the GOP will be out once again.

I heard of a cartoon where Obama is talking with Boehner.  Obama says, "So, you have been in office for over two hours now.  Why isn't everything fixed?"

The Tanned One is on television as I type this.  He is already setting the stage to explain his coming failure.  He said, "We must remember that the president is the one responsible, not us."  Expect to hear this a lot as the GOP continues to flounder.

For the record, I was a Republican but changed parties 6 months ago when I no longer wanted to be associated with the GOP tactics.  I voted across partly lines - mostly throwing encumbants out.  I want the GOP to succeed, not because they are GOP, but because success means we are all better off.  Unfortunately, they will fail because they define success as "We are in control and you are not."

I watched Family Guy last night.  Lois was running for mayor.  She discovered that when she said something substantial, people booed.  She then said, "9/11" and everyone cheered.  This is like the GOP.  They don't give details about what they are going to do.  They say "Jobs" and we all cheer.  They say, "It's someone else's fault," and we all nod wisely.

I am not sure if we are electing retarded people to office or if its actually us that are riding on the "special" bus.

Now more than ever, the world needs some saving.

Up, up and away...

Scary Faces

Now that this topic occurs to me, I wish I had thought of it a couple of days ago.

We've all heard about terms like "Love at first sight," or "First impressions are important."  I recently read a book titled BLINK which gives a bit of background on where these ideas may have come from.  The basic idea is that there is a lot of proof to suggest that we make better decisions when we are not overloaded with too much information.

Makes sense to me.

There are other books and such out there that talk about body language etc.  All of it tends to tell me that if I have an initial option about someone, just from the way they look, I may not be too far off.  Someone's appearance gives us a lot of information, much of which never makes it to our conscious, reasoning mind.   The brain takes in 400 billion bits of information a second, but we are only aware of 2,000 of those.  Aware is the key word.

I think my mind makes a lot of decisions based on those bits I am not aware of.  I could be wrong, and I probably am...but maybe I'm right.

Here are three faces that scare me for reasons I cannot put my finger on.

Here is the Pope.  From the moment he was first elected, I questioned the wisdom of choosing a guy that looks inherently evil.  I am not Catholic and tend to shake my head in disbelief when people tell me God has an open door policy as far as the Pope is concerned.  To me, he looks evil.  If I were to be in charge of casting for a Broadway version of A Christmas Carol, my first move would be to see if the Pope was available for the part of Scrooge.

The next guy is John Boehner, a leader in the Republican Party.  With him, I have a little more information to go on.  I have just voted, criss-crossing all party lines but, if I ever saw his name on a ballot, I would probably cut it out and throw it in the trash.  His aura, if there is such a thing, is dark.  He is a doom-sayer and thus, a doom-bringer.  If there is an anti-Christ, he would look like Boehner.  Visually, I get the impression of one that is not too bright but doesn't want you to know it.  On the plus side, he does seem to tan evenly.

And just to balance the scales, here is Nancy Pelosi.  While she has a certain Evil Witch of the West look about her, I see a controller. She is a female version of Montgomery Burns on the Simpsons. She is powerful and capable of wielding her power to great effect.  This could be a good thing but when I search for an aura, I only find bleakness.  She doesn't care about me - she cares about the power.  Power is her master, her constituent.

I realize that these views, in some cases wholly unsubstantiated, may not be fair.  But that's to be expected since my view is from the cheap seats.

Now to slip into a closet and don my own aura of Red, White a Blue for I must fight for Truth, Justice and the American way... and there is world saving to be done.  There is always a world to save.

Up, up and away...

The Rally to Restore Sanity

John Stewart and Stephen Colbert pulled it off.

They had a rally that basically said, "Let's not pretend that the hate-mongers we see on cable television and listen to on the radio represent us." 

They basically said what I have believed all along.  Few of us are purely Republican or Democrat.  We all want the same thing. We all work together every day to make our country strong.  Metaphorically, we all merge by taking turns, "you go then I go then you go etc."  Every now and then there is someone that tries to cut along the shoulder and crowd in at the last minute; but they are in the minority.

I strongly recommend that you watch clips on Youtube.com and read about it.

I went to see Playing For Change last night.  It was at a small venue in Petaluma.  There were about 150-200 of us there.  Here is a clip of them playing: video Playing for Change.

I took my three kids and two of their friends.  They all loved it.  I have watched this video every day for 9 days and have had 9 great days.  Maybe there is a link.

I just noticed that two things are missing from this election cycle.  First of all, George W. is not on the campaign trail.  What is that all about.  I leave it to you.

Secondly, the GOP is not campaigning on "Look what we have done for you." Instead, they are saying, "We will do the same thing and you will get something different from the last time we did that."  I wonder if that is going to work.

I know the GOP will pick up some seats and I'm glad for that.  Every elected official should know their job is on the line if they can't perform.    As for me, Boxer is history.  Pelosi is history.  The rest....I'll have to give it some thought.

I have taken up blogging with a fury.  Here is a list of links to my blogs: My Blog Links.

I seem to have a lot to say.  It's all part of my bigger plan to save the world.  Speaking of which...

Up, up and away...

Notes from the road

I landed in Chicago on Monday.  On Tuesday, they have the worst storm in 70 years!  Fortunately, I spent most of the day inside and it blew right past.

They have odd driving habits here.  Three times in two days I found myself stopped in a lane simply because the guy ahead of me thought that parking in traffic was a good idea.  I'd be sitting there behind some guy and traffic in the other lanes would be flashing by.  Eventually, I would scoot around him to find that he had simply stopped, maybe to check a map or buy a newspaper.  In California, we shoot people that do that.  Fortunately, I left my bazooka at home.  Otherwise, I may have shot from the hip before checking with the local customs.

Microsoft is a dying breed.  You heard it here first a few months back.  Now it's official.  Their stock has fallen 17% over the last few months.  Their browser is garbage; their Office Suite is garbage; their attempt at a social network is an embarrassment;  they have no tablet; the Zune was antiquated by the time it was brought onto the market and their new phone - who cares about it?

Apple is fighting the good fight but I think their business model will bring them down in the end.  They are too much of a "closed" system.  You are either an Apple person or you are not.  Android it more open - and it's in keeping with the Google philosophy of "as free as we can make it."

Since I am from the Bay Area, I have to say, "How 'bout dem Giants?"  In reality, I am less enthused.  My team is the New York Yankees farm club also known as the Oakland Athletics.  They have been bad for a couple of years and I have tired of them losing every prospect that shows some promise.

I watched Glee last night.  The story line is sort of a cheap glue that holds the singing scenes together.  I was surprised at how much I liked the singing.

I have suddenly found, at the young age of 52, that music is more than just Rock and Roll.  There is this video that I make a point of watching every day.  It makes me feel good.  I have watched it for 7 days in a row now and have had 7 good days as a result.  To find it, go to Youtube.com and look for "Playing for Change."  Once you get there, watch their video of "Stand by Me."

I noticed that Meg Whitman has a "Look how nice I am" ad out now.  After 140 million spent on attack ads, she has fallen to a distant second.  Now she is wisely trying a different route.  One thing of note, she is not as philanthropic as most billionaires.  Her only major gift was $50 million that she gave to preserve an open space near some property she owned.  It seemed more than a little self serving.

I have decided that it's time to leave Afghanistan.  Please forward that to Obama.  If we want to fight terrorists there, just keep our spy network up and then attack from drones.  We are trying to help people that really will go along with anyone that promises not to kill them when they walk to the store, or to the local poppy field.  Let the Taliban have the place.  If the people don't like it, let them rise up.  So long as we are there, they are content to let us do the dying.  I would much rather we send our money and our help to places like Indonesia where they are either swimming in the latest tsunami or running from the nearest volcano.

Time to go back to work.  Some people think I have come to Chicago to help them make Gummy Bears;  The truth is, I am here to save the world...

Up, up and away...

jim

I had a dream - of sorts

I had a dream last night where Sarah Palin and John Boehner (Republican leader) were on a stage answering questions from the press.

Questioner: "Mrs. Palin, given that your highest level of education is an undergraduate degree in journalism, why is it that you feel qualified to run a country?"

Palin: "Well gosh," wink, wink, "Joe the Plummer."

Questioner: "Mrs. Palin, I am curious about your understanding in economics given that you propose we return to the same policies that got us into trouble to begin with.  Perhaps you could tell us what, oh, how about you tell us what fiduciary means."

Palin: "You betcha.  A Fiduciary is where they keep the birds at the zoo."

Questioner: "Interesting." Then turning to John Boehner, "Sir, the Republican party wants to reduce spending.  Perhaps you could tell us what you would cut, given the opportunity."

Boehner: "I don't have to answer that but you can bet I'll hold meeting about it and then a pledge and then lots of other stuff."

Actually, I'm not sure if this was a dream or not.  It all seemed so real.

Now I have a couple of questions that have been bothering me.

Why are there no Baptist Al-Qaida?

How come the door-to-door bible people don't say, "Good morning sir, we'd like to talk to you today about Jihad."

And here is the biggest question.  How come the press and our government spend so much time spreading the fear of one or two individuals living in caves and eating mud soup?

Some American Al-Qaida make a video telling other sociopaths to kill at random and what do we do?  We spread the word.

"Attention everyone, a cave monkey wants people to blow themselves up in your neighborhood.  Be afraid."

They then go on to say, very importantly, "The threat level has been raised to orange."  They leave out the part that the level has been at orange since that entire kindergarten-like system was created.  They also ignore the fact that no one even knows what that is suppose to mean.

Europe shut down for a couple of weeks because some guy in a sheet said "Bombs are a-comin."  I don't know why they even bother to tell us about this stuff.  It's not like we are going to have a sudden outbreak of Hitler Youth that will call in an tell on their parents.

Security should just do it's thing and leave me out of it.  Should a bomb suddenly snuff me out in an instant, that's just fine.  At least I will have lived free of fear.

By the way, am I the only one that thinks "no cruel and unusual punishment" shouldn't apply to terrorists?  I don't think we should torture them but turning them into eunuchs that then spend the rest of their lives wandering how they are going to please 75 virgins with no equipment (the eunuchs not the virgins) seems like a fine idea to me.

Here is a link to a music video that I intend to watch every morning.  It makes me feel good.

http://www.youtube.com/user/PlayingForChange#p/a/C122061BDC373B4B/1/Us-TVg40ExM


Right now it's dark and raining outside.  I have to go out into it none-the-less.  There is nonsense afoot and I have a world to save.

Up, up and away...

Jim

I wouldn't vote for me

I have been silent lately.  There are two reasons for this.  First of all, I was on vacation, during which I attended my college reunion (Go Navy!).  Secondly, no one in the political world is behaving the way I want them to.  This means that I can either attack all of them or I'll just hang my head and cry.

I am going to go with the crying option.

I see this woman, Christine O'Donnell during a debate and think, "Really?  This is the best we can do?"  I think I could find a better candidate at a Hooters.  She doesn't know the first thing about the constitution.  She thinks the earth is 6,000 years old, created during God's "Busy Week."  She thinks that masturbation will send you to hell and the fable of Adam and Eve should be taught in school.  She thinks her best selling point is "I am just like you."  I'll tell you right now that I would make a terrible politician.  If her slogan is accurate, then she is off my list of Cute Girls I Want to See In Office.

Both sides have gone so negative that they should have to post viewer warnings before the ad airs.

Here are my guidelines for voting:

1. If you are in office now, I will vote you out.
2. If you go negative, I will vote against you.
3. I will not vote for someone that is trying to "buy" the office.
4. If you tell me to vote for you because you go to church, I will vote the other way.
5. If you stay above the fray and tell me about yourself, I will listen and be inclined to support you.
6. Party affiliation does not matter.
7. I need to trust you to do what YOU think is right.
8. If Fox news supports you, I will not.
9.  I will not vote for someone that is clearly insane.

Right now, the most interesting candidate is the guy running on the platform of "The Rent is Too Damn High."  This guy is great.  I would not vote for him due to rule number 9 above.

I noticed the military was going to allow gays to openly enlist.  I immediately felt relief.  It's like we finally grew up.  I understand that this has since been changed.  Apparently, Obama wants congress, not the courts, to change this rule.  He is probably right.

On the subject of Gays - the cub scouts booted out a gay dad.  I understand that the cub scouts are a "club" and within their rights to do this.  However, it seems bigoted to me. This is like kids on the playground not letting one of the children play because he is Jewish or too tall or left handed.  My son was in scouts for a while.  It turned out to be an organization dedicated to selling popcorn and cookies outside of the local grocery stores.  That's not the way I remembered it.  He would ask me when they would do something fun.  I kept saying, "soon."  Eventually, I gave up and let him drop out.  In 2 years, they had one overnight camping trip and hundreds of hours of cookies selling.

Debe posted a picture of a pig we once had years ago.  Her name was Sweet Pea.  This pig was smart.  I used to try and come up with ways to keep the dog food out of her reach.  I would hammer away at some contraption in the garage.  All the while, she would sit there next to me watching.  Almost as soon as I said, "There, she will never figure out this one," she would be into the food.  Once she actually pushed stuff over to make a stairway up to where the food was.  She could have passed college entrance exams if she knew there would be food involved.

I am in Cleveland today.  I haven't had a weekday at home since October 7th.  I will get home by noon tomorrow so that counts as a partial day.  Next week, I'm off to Chicago for a week.  There is some work there for me to do.

Also, I have a world to save and that seems like a good place to start.

Up, up and away...

j

Lessons For Me

Every now and then, I find myself overwhelmed.

This always mystifies me.  It does so for two main reasons.  First of all, I tend to be very confident in my own ability to "handle" things.  It doesn't matter if that is true or not; just so long as I believe it's true.  Secondly, it's never the big stuff that seems to make my load suddenly too heavy to bear.

Take right now for example.  I am at the airport, heading off to Washington D.C. where I will meet up with my wife for a week of Bliss.  A week from tomorrow, I will have my USNA 30th class reunion and we'll watch Navy beat up on SMU.

So why do I feel to overwhelmed?  It could be that vacations are simply hard work.  I think that is part of it.  I know how to do my job - it's NOT doing my job that is confounding.  Vacations are like climbing onto a wooden ship and heading off into unexplored territory - hoping I remembered to pack enough oranges to stave off scurvy.

I also think my mind/body or soul, knows that everything is going to be just fine so none of my spare energy packs have been activated.  When something Big comes along, I can see it and my whole world jumps into action.  No problem.  It's the small stuff though that seeps through the cracks and builds up slowly, like plaque on your teeth.

So, what do I do when I get into one of these "unjustified" funks?  I'm glad I asked.  I need to remind myself that there are tools.  Here are some of mine (a list).  I would encourage you to add yours if you wish.

1. Stay in the moment.  Right now, I am wolfing down a $15 airport special - bagel stuffed with cheese, eggs and bacon.  How can life not be good?

2. Don't hold onto balloons that take you places you don't want to go.  My wife gave me this one.  It basically says that there are all kinds of things that are placed in front of you.  Don't treat them like a balloon, grabbing onto one and allowing it to carry you away to a bad place, all of which is really only in your mind.  Mark Twain said (while quoting someone else), "I've lived through some terrible things in my life...some of them actually happened.
3. Do a good deed and don't tell anyone about it.  I use to go to the ice cream places in airports and pay for a cone, giving the salesperson the following instructions, "Please give a cone to the next little kid that comes along and looks like he needs it."  I would then leave and not look back.  I always felt good when I did that.  It's kind of like paying the toll for the car behind you.
4. Make a gratitude list.  For this, I recommend www.worldgratitudelist.com.
5. Remember your families and friends.  Be thankful that they are in your life.  They are important to you and you are important to them.
6. If something is out of your control - let it go.  If you don't know what I mean, look up The Serenity Prayer.
7.  Remember, if you do what you did, you will get what you got.  To change your situation, you must change your thought, your words, your actions...
8. If someone crosses you, let them off the hook.  Being tailgated?  Say out loud, "You are off the hook."
9. Talk to God.  I mean it.  I'm not saying "Go to church and pray."  I am not a big church fan myself.  But when the going gets a little rough, I find a quiet place, and talk to God.  I do it out loud.  I bitch and complain and blame but in the end - I always end up saying Thank You.
10. Blog.

Okay, now for today's food tip.

I learned this from my wife and I love it.

Take, 1 cup of corn and 1 cup of diced apples and 1/2 cup of diced smoked cheese and mix with two big tablespoons of sour cream.  By "diced", I mean the apple and cheese chunks should be the same size as the corn.  This is a delicious side dish.

I'm off to our nations capital to meet with the other Super Heroes.  There is a world to be saved...

Up, up and away...

j