Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Separated At Birth #32

Vice President Dick Cheney and the Burgess Meredith Penguin from "Batman"?
(QUACK QUACK QUACK QUACK!)
Mary Tyler Moore and the Cesar Romero Joker from "Batman"?

Nancy Pelosi and a Sleestack from "Land of The Lost?

John Kerry and Herman Munster?

Monday, July 30, 2007

Monday Randomness

1) Dubbaya and Dumberer: Pure GENIUS, it's all I can say! Bright-boy George Dubbaya wants to sell arms to Saudi Arabia to the tune of about $20 billion. Yes, selling arms to a country that has clearly and KNOWINGLY supported and facilitated terrorism by providing money and resources to these destructive maniacs. A story from Bloomberg News HERE. If this isn't a blatant act of treason, I don't know what is!

It should be no secret to any of us that Saudi Arabia has for a very long time aided, abetted and supported terrorism, and the fact that George DUMB-A-YA has given these duplicitous, evil bastards a free pass after 9/11 happened, as far as I'm concerned is grounds for his trial and EXECUTION (not to mention his impeachment first). It's NO coincidence that most of the perpetrators of 9/11 were Saudi nationals, as this FBI List bears out.

Here are links to writings on this very subject, it ain't pretty!

a) Story of Sen Bob Graham book about the Saudi/Terrorism link
b) An Op/Ed piece in The Nation from 2001 commenting on the matter
c) Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S)
d) Driving Out Terrorists
e) United States Action

Still think that the Saudi government are our friends? Think again folks! In my opinion, we should've declared war on SA and kicked the crap out of them! But of course, George Dubbaya in his infinite LACK of wisdom insists on being buddy-buddy with these evil, duplicitous murderers!

2) Couldn't Have Made This Up #86: In Tokyo Japan, a number of people have reported finding large sums of Japanese Yen (it's VERY real, not counterfeit) in their mailboxes and in some public places. What is behind these mysterious cash gifts? Read this STORY

3) In Memoriam: Cinema legend Ingmar Bergman passed away this week as did pioneering late 70's/early 80's talk-show host Tom Snyder.

4) The Movie That J.R.Shot: When the "I Dream of Jeannie" series ended, Larry Hagman needed a little something to do that was fun and kept his creative impulses occupied. So, armed with a "What Have I Got To Lose?" attitude and a bevy of celebrity friends, he set to work on directing a sequel to that classic 1958 campy monster movie, The Blob. In 1972, appearing at theatres everywhere (or at least in undiscovered parts of New Jersey), BEWARE! THE BLOB hit the screens! Featuring that just revived perpetually hungry protoplasm from outer space, a rather large number of celebrities become it's breakfast, lunch and dinner including Larry Hagman himself, Godfrey Cambridge, Burgess Meredith, Dick Van Patten, Carol Lynley, CCM singer Randy Stonehill and others. It was most definitely played up for laughs (for instance, a poor Turkish guy just narrowly escapes becoming The Blob's next meal running out of his house, only to get arrested for indecent exposure). It didn't exactly set the box office on fire, but it has become something of a cult classic and gave Larry Hagman a great marketing tag line for the first VHS release of the movie (around the time of the "Dallas" night-time soap opera's popularity), The Movie That J.R. Shot! If you like monster movies and a good laugh at the same time, give this one a try!



5) So Where's Our Flying Cars and Domed Cities?: It's been the staple of science fiction and Popular Science alike many years ago. Many futurists thought we'd be all driving flying cars, living in glass domed cities and wearing silver jumpsuits in the year 2000. Well, it's 2007 and we have no glass domed cities, nobody's exactly clamoring for Yves St. Laurent silver jumpsuits, but one adventurous little company called Moller International is doing their part to make the flying car a reality. Powered by 8 small rotary engines, (similar to those of the Mazda RX-7) this futuristic beauty sure can kick up a racket and it actually does lift off. Click HERE to see a number of videos of the Sky Car in action.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

The Friday Follies Strikes Again!



















1)
Alberto Gonzalez Could Be Under Investigation For Perjury: Not like we didn't expect this, but our old buddy AG looks like he's about to be put in the hot seat yet again, as the Senate is pressing for a serious investigation of whether he committed perjury in his rather evasive testimony regarding the matter of several US attorney's being fired under rather questionable circumstances. Personally, I hope they fry his hide! An AP story HERE

2) The White House Follies: And meanwhile, Congress stands poised to bring criminal charges against former White House counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten for their refusal to comply with a Congressional subpoena regarding the whole US attorney firing fiasco. Now my question is, when will George Dubbaya be bought up on criminal charges for ordering these bozos to commit a federal crime in the first place? One story HERE

3) It Was Inevitable #472: The town of Phoenixville PA has an annual Blob-Fest, in honor of the fact that the original 1958 horror-comedy/camp classic The Blob was filmed here in a large part (especially the "big scene" where dozens of teenagers run screaming from the Colonial Theatre as the Blob decides to have a little, uuhhh, "midnight snack"). Click HERE for more details, this looks hilariously fun! Some wonder just how did they create the monster effects? Some scenes were done with a half-inflated weather balloon, everything else was with a colored glob of silicon and miniature sets.

4) So Pathetic It's Almost Hilarious # 57: A Pensacola FL man got himself busted after, get this, making 292 calls to the local 911 dispatcher just to chat, he couldn't afford any more minutes on his phone so he took the freebie (they never charge for 911 calls). Apparently most of his calls were of an obscene nature, and when a male dispatcher would answer, he'd hang up. The full story HERE

5) Chalk Up One for Recycling #713: Although it's certainly not a brand new idea, it's one that bears mentioning from time to time. There are a number of folks who, through various circumstances or reasons, have taken to making their homes in, not conventional houses or apartments/condos or even trailers, but rather, for example, decommissioned airplanes. One such example is that of Jo Ann Ussery, who after her home was destroyed by an ice storm, bought herself a decommissioned old Boeing 727 (minus the wings) for about $2000 and made a house from it. A man from Oregon, one Bruce Campbell undertook a similar project on a more elaborate scale, see his WEBSITE. Some have even converted decommissioned planes into restaurants, In one case, located in Levittown PA, a restored Lockheed Constellation prop airliner serves as the cocktail lounge of a local restaurant, more info HERE. In Oplin TX, one individual had the good fortune to buy a decommissioned Atlas ICBM bunker and convert it into the most well-protected bachelor pad there could be, the story HERE. Got a couple million you want to invest in a VERY long-term home, look HERE, you just might find the deal of a lifetime. American ingenuity is STILL alive and well!

6) Keepin' It Real Behind Bars: It's official, the 2 key figures in the BMF (Black Mafia Family) as well as a number of others tied to these degenerates were officially indicted on Federal charges of cocaine trafficking and money laundering. It was these worthless punks who were not only responsible for trafficking and selling this destructive crap, but also perpetrated a number of violent crimes (including 2 alleged murders) and ran a rap label (which SHOULD be a criminal offense) to try to give themselves some "respectability" (whatever that means). And to add insult to injury, they even put up billboards with brazen slogans like "The World Is BMF's". If there is any justice in the world, these punks should spend the rest of their lives in prison with NO hope of parole. Some stories HERE HERE and HERE

AND FINALLY;

7) Just Wondering #824: If all the UFO/Alien Conspiracy theorists assertions of the existence of alien plots to take over our world or enslave us are true, isn't it a bit perplexing that these so called "aliens" haven't even tried yet, and they've certainly had LOTS of time to wipe us out and enslave us. Guess they found themselves far more promising targets (LOL).

ON THE PLAYER:
Feliu i Joan Albert (1977)

An amazing gem from Spain, circa 1977. It was a one-off collaboration between pianist Joan Albert Amargos and flamenco guitarist Feliu Gulsull. With just the two of them, it combines the fire of flamenco with the sophistication of jazz harmonies an early 20th Century Spanish classical music. Aided by a few guest musicians (woodwinds, percussion and bass) on acouple tracks, this duo will just blow your mind. Highly recommended, and available through Wayside Music.

HAPPY FRIDAY FROM THE OWL' S NEST!

Monday, July 23, 2007

Kolchak The Night Stalker: The 70's X-Files

And once again, the Owl dates himself a little. One particularly fond remembrance I have of 1970's TV (besides "All In The Family"), was more Friday nights than not, tuning into ABC TV's KOLCHAK: The Night Stalker, the continuing adventures of one Carl Kolchak (played by the late Darren McGavin), an investigative reporter who worked for the Independent News Service based out of Chicago. It seems our hard-boiled hero with the odd straw hat, a 110 Instamatic camera and a Sony TC-55 portable cassette recorder is always finding himself on the trail of some of Chicago's most bizarre news stories involving vampires, paranormal phenomenon, unfriendly aliens from other worlds, vengeful spooks, monsters and more.

And as if that wasn't challenging enough, Kolchak's ever skeptical boss Tony Vincenzo (played by Simon Oakland) didn't make life easy for him, along with police and other authorities that did their darnedest to cover up the real facts as Kolchak got too close to the truth and started asking VERY tough questions they couldn't get around. Topping it all off, the series managed to pull off a very delicate balance of suspense and comedy not seen since the 1966 Batman series.

Unfortunately, due to something known as The Nielsen Ratings, the series only lasted 2 seasons, but within those two, a lot of very entertaining stuff took place. I always liked the ending where Kolchak's acerbic wit would put a fitting cap on the story.

The series started first as a book, then a pair of made-for-TV movies before hitting the small screen on a regular basis.

X-Files creator Chris Carter acknowledges that KOLCHAK: The Night Stalker did play a part in his conception of the X-Files series. Interestingly enough, Chris Carter tried to get Darren McGavin on the series but he steadfastly refused to reprise the Kolchak character, but later did make some appearances as Arthur Dales, a retired FBI agent described as the "father of the X-Files".

In 2005, a revival of the series was attempted but sank like a rock, namely because of it's bleak and over0serious tone, a complete contrast to the suspenseful and funny original.

And yes fans, it is on DVD from the usual sources, heck, even Netflix has it in circulation. Need some popcorn and a dose of suspense mixed with comedy? You can't go wrong with KOLCHAK: The Night Stalker

Reason To Detest Lawyers #6290: The Brian Nichols Trial Delay

Here we go again, criminal defense lawyers doing us all a huge public service by DELAYING for ungodly amounts of time and demanding outrageous sums of money for accomplishing pretty much NOTHING!

And what's got this Owl hot under the neck-feathers regarding the legal profession (outside of the fact I think we need a raging take-no-prisoners crackdown on these remorseless pirates, but that's another rant by itself)? It's the inexcusable going on 8-month delay of the trial of one Brian Nichols, who on March 11, 2005, for a period of a little more than 24 hours terrorized the Atlanta area by first overpowering and viciously beating a female guard who was escorting him to a courtroom for his rape trial (He seized the opportunity while changing into civilian clothes, something his A-Hole lawyers told him to do, so as not to, "prejudice the jury" by wearing prison garb and shackles. Well he was in shackles for a good reason, this guy is PSYCHOTIC, VIOLENT and DANGEROUS. Personally, I think his lawyers in that instance should be bought up on criminal charges relating to endangering the public)). He then took the guard's gun, killed a judge, a court reporter, and a deputy sheriff (and stole his gun) before carjacking his way to the posh Buckhead section of Atlanta, killing in cold blood a US Customs agent who was unlucky enough to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. From there, this psychopath thug made his way to Duluth GA and took one Ashly Smith and her 2-year old daughter hostage. Eventually, Ashly was able to persuade Nichols to give himself up to police (personally, I think they should shot him the first chance they got, it would've saved us GA taxpayer a TON of money and struck a blow for justice). On May 5, 2005, he was indicted by a Fulton County grand jury on 54 counts including murder, kidnapping, robbery, aggravated assault on a police officer, battery, theft, carjacking, and escape from authorities. All this would pretty much make him eligible for the death penalty (something I am HEAVILY in favor of bringing back).

Honestly, I am amazed that the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton haven't jumped on this bandwagon and played the race card, let's hope they have at least a shred of decency to stay away from it altogether if they know what's good for them.

But anyway, here it is, nearly August and these pinhead lawyers are STILL holding up the trial (and quite honestly, the evidence against Nichols is damning to put it kindly) all because they think they don't have enough money to defend Nichols (I hear the idea is to play the Insanity Defense, which historically, most juries wisely reject as complete BS), How long will the families of each victim of this savage beast (I dare not call him a man, but rather a poor excuse for one) have to wait for justice to be exacted and somehow have closure? I can only hope that somewhere along the way, this idiocy is put to an end, Nichols goes to trial and gets to meet his maker. If this psychotic savage gets off on some STUPID technicality, I SERIOUSLY hope there's a lynch mob somewhere just waiting for him AND his lawyers. Good luck Mr Nichols, you're gonna need LOTS of it.

A recent story from the AJC on this whole sorry affair HERE

Friday, July 20, 2007

Friday Follies

Happy Friday one and all, and it's time for another edition of the Owl's Friday Follies!


1) Couldn't Have Made This Up #281: A woman and her 84 square foot home, barely larger than a parking space, the story is found HERE. A tour found HERE

2) Most Affordable Towns: Never would've guessed ANYWHERE in New York could possibly be affordable but boy was I wrong, looks like a number of locales in Ohio and Pennsylvania scored high too, the story HERE



3) And I Can Sleep Better At Night Knowing--The CDC with it's fail safe technology at a De Kalb County GA Biological Research facility got caught with their Petri Dish open so to speak. A power outage of an hour or so duration compromised their ability to contain deadly strains of disease organisms, just another in the latest of revelations of the CDC's incompetence, carelessness and utter disregard for common sense, the story HERE.



4) And AGAIN, I Can Sleep Better At Night Knowing-- The subject of a recent international incident, one Atlanta attorney by the name of Andrew Speaker recently underwent apparently successful lung surgery to remove tissue infected by tuberculosis. Meanwhile, this nimrod claims he didn't know TB was contagious, and in any number of ways defended his irresponsible actions in taking several international flights to Europe and back KNOWING he had TB. To say he endangered his fellow passengers would be an understatement. I do wish him a speedy recovery, because when that's over and done with, this selfish JACKASS is facing a number of lawsuits by his fellow passengers, and honestly, I hope he'll face SERIOUS criminal charges!



5) Here Kitty Kitty Kitty-------: Folks in Bordeaux, France aren't exactly sleeping easy, knowing that a young tiger or some kind of big cat is roaming in their midst, the story HERE



6) My Condolences To: Larry David, the brilliant, irascible co-creator of "Seinfeld" and creator/star of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" on the ending of his 14-year marriage to Laurie. But ever the comedian, David was taking it in stride with his characteristic razor-sharp wit and humor. Apparently, it was an amicable parting.



7) A GREAT Intelligent Sci-Fi Movie Shot for $7000 and With ZERO CGI Effects: Is such a thing possible you ask? You'd better believe it! I direct your attention to PRIMER, a gem from 2004. PRIMER is the story of 2 young entrepreneurs (played by director Shane Carruth and David Sullivan) who, in a quest to do something out of the ordinary and get themselves free of the daily grind of the corporate world, accidentally invent a crude time-travel device. What follows is their realizing the power they posses, acting on it and then, having to deal with the dire consequences of playing God. This wonderful film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004, and rightly so. It's not over-long, briskly paced and VERY involving! Can't recommend it enough


AND FINALLY:

8) BAND NAMES: A touchy subject for newbie and veteran musicians alike, recording and album and touring are child's play in comparison to finding a suitable name for your band. Fear not, there's LOTS of on-line help, including this page of ideas by veteran studio/road bassist Tony Levin which has some REAL sidesplitting classics. I too got into the act of performing this invaluable public service, with a page on tips for naming your band. Also, one Jello Biafra even did a HILARIOUS and occasionally ribald spoken word piece on his "No More Coccoons" album called "Names For Bands" which has to be heard to be believed.

Happy Friday Everyone!!!!

Thursday, July 19, 2007

What the Hell Is It With Sports Figures Anymore?

Just what is happening in the world of professional sports anymore? How is it that we've gone from some true greats who embodied hard work, character, excellence and perseverance (examples like Mark Spitz, Pele', Larry Bird, Bobby Hull, Michael Jordan, Johnny Unitas, Don Meredith, Gale Sayers, Joe Namath, Terry Bradshaw, Doug Flutie, Willie Stargell, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Tom Seaver and much more) to complete utterly destructive and brainless DEGENERATES like OJ Simpson, Dennis Rodman, Pacman Jones, Terrell Owens, Mike Tyson and Michael Vick? ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!


In times past, it used to be that young kids could look up to people in sports as examples of hard work, physical training, teamwork, perseverance, building character and such. Anymore, it seems that a number of high-profile sports figures are better known for their OUTRAGEOUSLY HIGH salaries, number of endorsement deals and worse yet, INEXCUSABLY STUPID DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR. What kind of a legacy or example is that to follow? Unfortunately, the level of public outrage against this disturbing trend is alarmingly low in this Owl's opinion. Why be outraged? Simply this, if these guys are examples to follow in the context of professional sports, who's to say that these sort of shenanigans and criminal behavior won't manifest themselves in other arenas and areas of life too! Do you want your kids emulating the likes of Mike Tyson (a VIOLENT misogynist), Dennis Rodman (a garden variety MORON and narcissist who ALWAYS has to draw attention to himself), OJ Simpson (a lying, obfuscating MURDERER who got away with it!) and most recently Michael Vick, whose shenanigans range from flipping off fans to running illegal dogfights where he had dogs executed for not winning, what a LOSER!!! If the Atlanta Falcons want to save face, they'd best FIRE this idiot pronto before their team suffers any more damage to itself, financially and otherwise!


Does this mean I hate pro-sports? By no means, but I am EXTREMELY disgusted with how pro-sports gives these numbskulls a free pass, and it winds up biting them in the ass later, financially and not to mention a horribly blemished reputation. I for one am calling on the professional sports world to start getting serious about screening their recruits and signings A LOT MORE CAREFULLY, they should also be taking into account things like character, psychological/psychiatric fitness, past criminal record and such. Most importantly, do these guys play for love of the sport first and foremost, or just for instant, easy fame and big bucks? This is something that should be a REQUIREMENT before being signed ANYWHERE!


And for crying out loud, KNOCK IT OFF with these outrageous salaries that are in turn passed onto the fans. It's bad enough that idiots in the corporate world like Bob Nardelli, Dennis Kozlowsky and the late Kenneth Lay got paid to screw up, but to have this mentality in the sports world is not a good thing either! These guys need to EARN their money, NOT have it handed to them on a silver platter.



And in conclusion, to those in pro-sports who are out there every day playing their hearts out and being there for love of the game (whatever form it takes) and the fans, this Owl takes his hat off to you for upholding a long and proud tradition! This tirade is not directed at you, but rather the rather high-profile imbeciles who are ruining it for everyone else. Keep on playing guys, your hard work doesn't go unnoticed!


ON THE PLAYER
Donald Fagen - Morph the Cat



The keyboard playing/singing half of Steely Dan released this brilliant collection of songs in 2006 to much deserved acclaim. Taking such far-flung subjects as fleeting fame (H-Gang), death ("Brite Nightgown") , a conversation with the ghost of Ray Charles ("What I Do") and even having a fling with an airport security worker (Security Joan), and marrying them to brilliantly crafted melodies and harmonically dense jazz/funk informed arrangements (with KILLER musicians from New York's best), Fagen commands your attention from start to finish. Good stuff!

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

The Problem With Lawyers Is--Well--LAWYERS! PART 1

Well, I guess it was inevitable, much as I've ranted about incompetent and narcissistic politicians in these pages, that I would get around to ranting about where the vast majority of them sprung from, namely , the once honorable law profession (RIP).

Let's face it folks, the days of the honorable, honest lawyer on the order of a Perry Mason have, sadly long passed. In it's place, is a world where the NORM is for a lawyer to be ruthless, not in the pursuit of truth and justice, but in the pursuit of profit and notoriety for themselves, and to hell with the consequences. Organizations like the ACLU are just one symptom of this greater dilemma, with their objective, NOT to uphold the constitutional rights of law abiding citizens, BUT RATHER to come to the aid of every criminal organiztion, purveyor of depravity, indecency and just plain outright stupidity (folks like NAMBLA, The KKK etc) while making a decent buck off of it. In fact, it becomes more and more obvious that the ACLU is NOT a champion of our civil liberties, but rather a grave threat to them, but that's another rant unto itself for another time.

And although in the end, it appears to have been a cynical, calculated bit of political rhetoric that the first Bush administration had ZERO intention of doing anything with, the fact that VP at the time Dan Quayle stopped just short of calling for lawyers to be tarred feathered or even hanged couldn't be ignored, at least he and Bush were aware of a steadily growing public outrage at the abuses, greed, arrogance and ever growing stupidity of the law profession in the US. A 1992 vintage Harvard Crimson article/opinion piece mentions this, written by a then law student who was calling for people to be more reasonable in their judgement of the profession, fair enough I guess.

Where does my anger and outrage at lawyers get directed the most? For me, it's mainly these shyster ambulance chasing vultures and criminal-coddling defense lawyers I feel the most venom and disdain for, in addition to word-twisting law-bending nimrods like the ACLU who ALWAYS take the side of depraved kooks and other miscreants.

The examples are countless of a legal profession horribly out of control. In one sense, it's a barometer of where we are as a society, in that we've pretty much thrown the concept of taking PERSONAL responsibility for our actions and choices completely out the window. Why admit we were wrong or did something inexcusably stupid, when for a fee, we can get a lawyer and collect BIG $$$$$$!? The infamous McDonalds Coffee lawsuit being one example, or, get this, a woman sued the Norfolk & Southern RR after she was nicked by a passing train (she was actually trespassing on RR property keep in mind), and get this, her grounds for the suit were that the railroad didn't notify people that trains travel on tracks!!!!?????? Hello lady, you must be a kindergarten dropout to NOT know that trains travel on tracks! And who could forget a rather infamous case in the 1980's in CA where a burgular while attempting to break in through the roof of a school, fell through a skylight. The dumbass then sued the L.A. School District for his injuries, and WON!!! Here is a Time Magazine article that mentions this among other legal stupidties, in addition to a pretty in-depth assessment of the sorry state we're in because of the rampant greed of trial lawyers and people who file frivolous lawsuits.

This blog page has some pretty biting commentary and some pretty right-on notions about tort reform that I found very enjoyable to read.

On this website is just a small collection of some of the STUPIDEST, most idiotic, moronic and pointless lawsuits ever perpetrated. Very amusing and sad

Sad to note, there actually are people out there who can make a living being a Professional Victim. I mean, all you have to do is find a good slick ambulance chasing lawyer, get a few people ticked off at you, provoke them in some way or fake a fall or inflict some injury on yourself, and VOILA, instant BIG payoff!

Well, this Owl opines, FWIW that we need to CRACK DOWN on these greedy lawyers AND the people who file idiotic, frivolous and ruinous lawsuits.

1) We need to set definite legal standards to establish what constitutes a frivolous lawsuit. Someone who files a lawsuit for circumstances under which the plaintiff was comitting a crime to begin with should be IMMEDIATELY jailed for attempted fraud and extortion, in addition to the initial crime itself.

2) We need to make it A SERIOUS FELONY to file a frivolous lawsuit with HARSH criminal penalties (how about 10 years in jail to start), and better yet, strip the lawyer of their law license(s) FOREVER and send them up the river for 10 years too. Frivolous lawsuits should fall under the same umbrella as laws regarding extortion, fraud and blackmail. I for one would LOVE to see some of these shysters wearing orange prison overalls being forced to press license plates or break up rocks.

3) The plaintiff who filed the frivolous/unlawful suit should be forced to make restitution to the parties they bought the suit against (legal costs namely).

4) In our law schools, there needs to be some SERIOUS re-teaching of what being an attorney is all about. Far too many schools teach upcoming lawyers to be ruthless, arrogant, greedy scofflaws and to adopt a win-at-any-cost mindset. If one should pursue a career as a lawyer, it should be made clear from the outset that being one is about seeking and uncovering the truth of any situation and defending the rights of a citizen and upholding the rule of law, NOT lying, manipulating or obfuscating the truth so that somebody can literally get away with murder or extort money from others that they have no right to collect. The consequences of unethifcal behavior by lawyers in my opinion are FAR too lenient! We need to SEVERELY punish these greedy shysters who pervert justice, cause financial and personal ruin and suck untold billions out of our economy and your pockets. As far as I'm concerned, these ambulance-chasers are just as much criminals as thugs, rapists, murderers and the like!

This rant covers just the ambulance-chasers, a future one (not far off) will cover the criminal-coddlers.

http://famguardian.org/Subjects/LawAndGovt/LegalEthics/42ReasonsHateLawyers.htm

And finally, a snippet of a famous Tom Paxton song "One Million Lawyers", listen HERE

Monday, July 16, 2007

"Wait 'Til Your Father Gets Home", Predecessor Of The Simpsons?

I know, I'm REALLY dating myself here! In 1972, Hanna-Barbera took a huge risk and put out this, for the time, very cutting edge prime-time cartoon (broadcast on NBC) known as "Wait 'Til Your Father Gets Home", which chronicled the lives and misadventures of a typical American family of the early 1970's dealing with The Generation Gap, changing attitudes on sex and various other hot-button social/political issues of that time. The series ran from 1972-1974

The cast consisted of Harry Boyle (brilliantly voiced by Tom Bosley), a salt-of-the-earth conservative businessman and owner of a restaurant supply business, his loving wife Irma (voiced by Joan Gerber) who tried to stay neutral in all the inevitable conflicts that would arise between Harry and his hippie/slacker son Chet (voiced by David Hayward/Lennie Weinrib ) and vehemently feminist daughter Alice (voiced by Kristina Holland, who is now a practicing psychologist), while his enterprising youngest son Jamie (voiced by Jackie Earle Haley) was his staunchest ally and stood by him no matter what. Adding to Harry's vexations about the ever-changing world around him was his wacko neighbor Ralph Kane (voiced by comedian Jack Burns), an ultra-right wing conspiracy theory nut/vigilante group leader that was always on the lookout for some kind of Communist invasion. He darn near made organizations like the John Birch Society look positively sane by comparison.

Even when faced with vexing conflicts with his 2 older kids, Harry managed to keep his wits about him and face it with a razor-sharp wit and humor. An odd fact about this series, it shares a commonality with "Happy Days", in that both shows began as sketches on the old "Love American Style" series. In the case of this series, the pilot was "Love and The Old Fashioned Father".

"Wait 'Til Your Father Gets Home" may well have been something that helped inspire the long-running "The Simpson's" with its examination of a dysfunctional family and its vexing neighbors and an ever-changing world that is not easily made sense of. I also wonder if "King of The Hill" might've taken a few cues from it as well (very similar themes but set in present day suburban Texas).

In any case, I'm glad to report that the first season of "Wait 'Til Your Father Gets Home" has been released on DVD very recently and is HIGHLY recommended viewing, a look back at a comparatively simpler time, and just plain HILARIOUS!!

From The Overflow of Hillary's Heart (7/14/2007)

And yet again, Hillary is determined as all hell to limit or completely eliminate honest debate, and HORRORS, maybe even free speech. On July 14, she was heard to say something to the effect that the number of candidates should be thiined out in debates or forums, like this incident at an NAACP Presdiential Forum, where Hillary and John Edwards carelessly spouted off their displeasure, for all the world to hear.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/07/14/clinton-edwards-caught-on-open-mic/


Boy Hillary, you STILL don't get the idea of the First Amendment, do you? As if your pushing of the rather UNfair Fiarness Doctrine (whose only REAL intent is to silence opposing view points to yours like conservative talk-radio etc), you continue to stoop to new depths of stupidity and lust for control!

EDITED TO ADD: And as if this wasn;'t enough, go to this page for a number of Hillary quotes, good Lord, this woman has got a mouth like a drunk truck driver: http://oldbluejacket.com/H&P-hillary.htm

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Random Quips


  1. Take a bite out of crime, feed criminals to the lions!
  2. The possibility of golf being an exciting sport is about that of Mariah Carey singing jazz convincingly.
  3. Nobody's life, liberty or property is safe when the legislature is in session
  4. The next challenge for the engineers at Apple, create an iPod that holds 100,000 songs and cannot be seen with the naked eye
  5. A balanced meal is a hamburger in each hand (credit to Frank Blau)
  6. Emo is the new boy-band craze
  7. If out-of-control egocentric wailing divas want to do mankind a real service, there are towns all over the Midwestern US that could use your services as a tornado siren.
  8. Achieving cold-fusion is far more likely than George Dubbaya Bush having a brain.
  9. Between out-of-control spending, intrusive Big Government, always having to be right and more skeletons in a closet than a Frankenstein movie, it's obvious that the Republican and Democrat parties are only minor variations of the same theme.
  10. Budweiser is NOT beer and McDonald's is NOT food!
  11. If Paris Hilton's being dumb was an act, then Will Hung is an opera singer!
  12. DEATH brand cigarettes, now THAT'S what I call Truth-In Advertising!
  13. When Andy Rooney leaves this planet, who could POSSIBLY replace him?
  14. One sure fire career-killer, having George W Bush say publicly that you're doing a great job.
  15. Just because something is legal doesn't mean that it's right.
  16. Congress should be paid what they're worth, in other words, they should be wearing white paper hats and asking "Would you like fries with that sir? (thanks to Johnny Carson)
  17. Some gems from Duke Ellington: "A problem is a chance for you to do your best", " Love is supreme and unconditional; like is nice but limited", "You've got to find some way of saying it without saying it", "Playing bop is like playing Scrabble with all the vowels missing", "If it sounds good, it is good"
  18. Beware of ANY group, organization or individual that claims they're the ONLY ones doing it right, all others are inferior and if said group/organization is presided over by a charismatic, loud, fast-talking egocentric person whose grasp on reality is tenuous at best.
  19. While music is an art form in part employing math, the math portion should be subservient to the emotional and aesthetic components, NOT the other way around.
  20. People who hate dancing, have no sense of humor and want absolute control of all things are TRULY SCARY!
  21. Everything I needed to know about music I learned from Miles Davis!

Friday, July 13, 2007

Happy Friday Everyone!

And once again, it's time for the Friday Follies!

(cueing up cheesy organ music)

1) Chalk Up One For Telling The Truth: In a rare moment of lucidity and intelligence, the Federal Government has assumed responsibility for the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda CA, and in doing so, has removed the whitewash regarding the whole Watergate Scandal of the early 1970's (that eventually resulted in Nixon's resignation in disgrace from the presidency). The full story will now be chronicled at this library, the good bad and the ugly.

2) Just Wondering #25: Do we REALLY need a Surgeon General at all?

3) Better Early Than Never: I COULDN'T have made this up, a teacher flew thousands of miles across the Atlantic to Wales for a friend's wedding, A YEAR TOO EARLY!! The full story HERE

4) While Bush Fiddles--Some war on terror, eh? While George Dubbaya is hell-bent on having his ego vindicated by continuing to wage a POINTLESS war in Iraq, Al-Queda has essentially rebuilt itself to pre-9/11 capability. If this doesn't prove the innate stupidity of GWB and his whole administration, I don't know what does. Here's a commentary by Bob Casca on this sorry development. And of Bush's whole mentality on the "War On Terror", a person who wrote into the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's VENT section brilliantly summed it up like this a couple weeks or so ago, something on the order of getting attacked by a bully (9/11) and then taking revenge on a cousin of the bully 6 months later two towns away, and the bully couldn't care less about this particular cousin anyway. And another thing, was not the Iraq war started WITHOUT a Congressional declaration of war, IN DIRECT VIOLATION OF THE WAR POWERS ACT?

5) Great News, Dancing Scientifically Proven To Ward Off Alzheimer's: Yes, it's true, dancing and most forms of physical exercise and mental stimulation play a huge role in warding off dementia/Alzheimer's and other nasty things like that. Although not athletically inclined myself, I DO love to hit a dance floor any chance I get, And let me tell y'all, it is FUN being able to lead a beautiful lady in an elegant Foxtrot or a playful Cha-Cha and a lot prettier than going to the gym!

A cool article is HERE

And my story of how I went from two-left-feet to dancing fool is HERE

AND FINALLY

6) Prince Strikes A Blow Against The Big Labels: I gotta give the Purple One big kudos here for going out of his way for his long-loyal audience and giving the big labels a well-deserved punch in the nose. In Britain, his newest CD, "Planet Earth" will be enclosed with the Sunday July 14 special edition of The London Daily Mail for the special price of $2.80. While British fans are ecstatic, many Brit music industry types have their knickers in a twist (aawwwwww Booooo Freakin Hoooooo!). Their gripe is that Prince will devalue recorded music (apocalyptic doom music here). Uhh, yeah, right.

The international release date is July 16 and the US release date is July 24.

In the recent past, Prince having amassed more than enough financial resources has taken control of his music in a way that most major label artists could only fantasize about. And as far as his gratefulness for his audience, you can't get much better than this; on a previous tour, a copy of a then brand-new CD was included in the ticket price. Fans were indeed quite happy here.

I may not be a huge Prince fan but there's no denying the man's talent and creativity (and he plays some pretty smoking post-Hendrix guitar!) and not to mention taking great pains not to bite the hand that feeds him, namely his audience.

And here's an article

Happy Friday from The Owl's Nest

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Watching A Train Wreck----

I must say this whole soap-opera that we know as the Bush Administration just gets more hilariously pathetic and tragic at the same time.

As if good 'ol Gearge Dubbaya wasn't content enough to shoot himself in the foot with the Scooter Libby Sentence Commutation, he shoots himself in the other foot by ORDERING (not suggesting) his former counsel Harriet Miers and Sara Taylor DEFY a Congressional subpoena in regards to the firing of 8 US attorneys. Ahh, the Dunderhead In Chief ordering his subordinates to commit an illegal act, verrrrrry interesting, considering this brainless bozo took an oath of office that bound him to protect and defend the Constitution of the US and faithfully execute the office of President. Honestly, I hope certain members of Congress have the guts and intestinal fortitude (a commodity VERY MUCH LACKING in Washington these days) to bring the White House up on criminal charges, the absolute minimum being contempt of Congress.

It's shenanegans like this that make a great case for impeachment of both Bush AND Cheney. The reason I say BOTH (aside from the fact that Dick Cheney is as much a criminal as the rest of the Bush White House) is that if only GW were removed from office, we'd be cursed with a Presdient Cheney, certainly an individual that has lost all touch with reality. No thank you!


And though I shudder at the thought of the Democrats holding sway again (ESPECIALLY if it's HITLARY Clinton in the Oval Office), but if indeed the Republicans suffer a massive thrashing in the 2008 elections, they absolutely DESERVED it for their abject spinelessness, lawlessness and utter stupidity! Times like these are a GREAT argument for doing away with the senseless, worthless and dysfunctional two-party system and paving the way for real alternatives like the Libertarians or the Constitution Party for example.

But anyway, getting back on topic, here's an AP News Story with more details.

And some proposed Dick Cheney Articles of Impeachment

An article in The Nation making a great case for Bush's impeachment

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

BUSTED Rhymes-----

You just gotta love these rappers, fine upstanding citizens and humanitarians they are--NOT!!!!!

OK, the most recent in a LOOOONNNG spate of criminal and PROUDLY MORONIC behavior by rappers is not one, but FOUR separate criminal trials awaiting one Busta Rhymes, 2 for assault and 2 for driving related offenses (one story HERE) And along with him, one 50 Cent (better known to most authorities as Curtis Jackson) just seems to love prison so much (I mean hey, where else is he going to get material for his asinine dunderheaded raps), he gives our boys in blue MANY opportunities to do their job, like a 1994 bust for selling coke and crack, a 2003 illegal weapons bust, and a ton more, plus one of his claims to fame is having been shot 9 times. Now that is REAL artistic credibility! And these are just 2 of I'm sure hundreds or thousands of examples.

The issue I'm getting at here is not individual rappers as such, rather the whole hip-hop/rap culture and its inherent depravity. Would someone endeavor to give me an HONEST, intellectually sound explanation as to why these rappers and their followers:

1) Decry the conditions in the world around them YET do everything they possibly can to DEGRADE the human condition with their violent, racist, mysoginistic, drug-crazed and just plain SENSELESS behavior, talk and complete disregard for decency, remorseless thug behavior and empty-headed unabashed greed and mindless acquisition of "bling". Worse yet, they ENCOURAGE and ADVOCATE such evil and stupidity, and act so flip about it like it doesn't matter? And how can the rap/hip-hop community at large be given a free pass especially when, in 2004, morons like KRS-One very proudly cheered and applauded the terrorist attacks of 9/11 on the premise that it was only aimed at the rich? YOU MORON, it was aimed at EVERYONE, you included! Here's a couple citations of this idiot's ramblings and trying to get off the hook by using the old cop-out, "My Remarks Were Taken Out of Context" (which we ALL know is a flat-out lie) KRS One 9/11 Remarks 1 Remarks 2

And where's the outrage from so-called "leaders" like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton on the stupidity and depravity surrounding hip-hop culture? You two have been rather noticeably silent on this whole issue from Day One!

2) Claim that they're being artistic, "real" and creative, yet are the most CREATIVELY BANKRUPT A-HOLES' to ever sell records? OK, maybe they get all the legal clearances for samples of other people's music, but you are STILL stealing from other people's ideas and trying to claim them for your own. What's more almost NONE of these guys (rappers or producers) can actually play an instrument and have to rely on computerized gadgets to produce their simplistic, monotonous mind-deadening wares. Intellectual and creative LAZINESS at its worst! This alone is reason that I CANNOT and WILL NOT accept Rap as a valid art form, to me, it's a force of evil and depravity THAT MUST BE ERADICATED FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH!

What's more, the anti-intellectualism of these guys is unbelievable, evidenced in part by the fact their "vocabulary" is limited to the F, N and S-words and prolific references to pimping, drug use and killing just because they can. These morons perpetuate every known negative stereotype with ZERO remorse and even worse, try to get their audience to buy into a huge lie that doing well in school and succeeding in life by honest hard work is somehow "acting white" (another HUGE cop-out). Kanye West (who ALMOST makes George Dubbaya look intelligent), who I would call Dumbass-In-Chief of all rapdom has been known to tell people that it's stupid and wrong to get an education of any type, and not to mention his grandiose statements of his own perceived historical importance (laughing uncontrollably here). How can ANYONE look up to destructive morons like this is beyond my comprehension!

And I'm painfully aware that ANYONE who outwardly disdains rap/hip-hop is very likely to be labeled a racist/bigot or the current vogue term, "hater". Well, this Owl states for the record that I am NOT racist, never have been, have friends of many nationalities and honestly, I think this whole "racist" or "hater" labeling is a major COP-OUT! I just ain't buying it! Nor should anyone else. One thing I'll NEVER be is politically correct (just another form of institutionalized dishonesty, intellectual laziness and cowardice). I have to ask these guys, "Do you think that Dr Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, C Delores Tucker and many others who took up the cause of civil rights and ending racial discrimination put their very lives at risk just so that MORONS like you could spout off the N-word (a word I HATE passionately) and do all these stupid things to degrade, destroy and hurt your fellow man?

Anyone that thinks that rap/hip-hop and crime aren't connected is SADLY out of touch with reality in this Owl's opinion. Among the more high-profile examples:

1) Death Row Records: Presided over by one Suge Knight, this criminal enterprise had indisputable connections to a Bloods street gang in L.A., a summary fo the whole saga here

2) BMF Entertainment/The BMF: This Atlanta-based crime family/rap label suffered a major setback with the recent arrests of it's head honcho and his now estranged brother on Federal drug trafficking charges. Both are now awaiting trial in a Michigan prison. The short story here and a complete 3-part investigative story on the whole sorry enterprise here

It does my heart good to know I'm not alone in my outrage. Folks like Bill Cosby, Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts, the late C. Delores Tucker and jazz musician Wynton Marsalis have openly taken this mindless culture of destruction and greed to task along with many other folks of various walks of life and ethnicities who are just sick and tired of this stupidity. The chorus of outrage is growing, the tolerance is dwindling, will these moronic rappers and their followers get a clue? Will people who can't parent properly get a clue and learn to STOP this kind of depravity in the home before it starts and spreads to our streets?

Bill Cosby's Famous 2004 Speech/Rant and a CNN article

Wynton Marsalis Interviews about his most recent album, "From The Plantation to the Penitentiary", a scathing critique of hip-hop culture set to some AMAZING deep jazz.

Jazz pianist Kenny Drew sounding off HERE

And Some Recommended Reading:

Ghettonation by Cora Daniels


Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Hats Off To Mika Brzezinski!!













File this under "Mad As Hell And Not Going To Take It Anymore". In a rare and much needed moment of indignation and disgust, MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski apologized to viewers for the lead story on a recent edition (June 27, 2007) of the Morning Joe show, which concerned a certain perpetually vacuous/intelligence deficient brand-name hotel chain heiress being released from a well-deserved jail sentence (incurred by her own terminal stupidity of course) for DUI. Thank God she didn't stop at the apology!

After this, even though goaded by her colleagues Joe Scarborough and Willie Geist, she stood her ground and then pulled out a Bic lighter, clearly set on burning the offending script on worldwide TV, much to the amazement and horror of those in studio. Even though she didn't set fire to the script, she just happened to have a rather conveniently placed shredder in full camera view and put it to use. Was the issue this certain brainless hotel chain heiress. Not really. the deeper issue was passing off vacuous BS and inconsequential puffery as actual news. Mika deserves a medal for saying NO MORE in such a public, fierce and very real way (it was NOT staged!). She got lots of emails and the like applauding her public outrage. I would hope this serves as a much need slap in the face and wake up call to television news for its pointed vacuousness, lack of ethics, objectivity, principles and substance.

Click HERE to see the actual event.

Click HERE to see a discussion after the event between Mika and Willie Geist

A USA TODAY commentary

And TWO Recommended Movies To Watch Along These Lines:


NETWORK: Paddy Chayefsky's brilliant 1976 biting satire of the sorry state of TV news where style triumphs over substance, and the network newsman's rallying cry and principle of "Im Mad As Hell and I'm Not Going to Take It Anymore".


BROADCAST NEWS: A funny and biting look at the struggles behind the scenes of a TV news operation as the producer (played by Holly Hunter) tries her darndest to teach a charismatic but EXTREMELY vacuous pretty-boy (played by William Hurt) how to be a real newsman, and the trevails of a REAL reporter (played by Albert Brooks) who while a brilliant journalist just didn't have the screen presence to put it across.

Sunday, July 8, 2007

It REALLY Goes To Eleven!

Ahhh yes, the inevitable progress report on my CD's completion.

Though not as gargantuan a project as, say, inventor Nikola Tesla's Wardenclyffe Tower (pictured at right), it still had its particular challenges but has proved to be avery worthwhile endeavor for me as it taught me a good deal about recording production and perserverance.

In any case, there are now TEN tracks complete and mixed down. First off, "Did They Even Sing?", a tense minor-key jazz inflected piece, with a voiceover at the end provided by my roomate's girlfriend, she did the most HILARIOUS and convincing "Valley Girl" voice I've heard in ages, the text (seen in this post, in red) just made it all the more hysterical, my poke in the eye at the American Idol mentality. Then there is "Don't Do The Mime If You Can't Do The Time", a fetching duet of classical guitar and organ also featuring gratuitous gong usage. And finally, "HowTo Sell Out And Eclipse The Spice Girls In Sales", born out of a drum improv by Jim Dunn that was recorded in my living room a couple years ago. ne Dave Condra paid me a visit one afternoon and laid down some bass parts off the cuff, then I shelved it until now, After much listening, a couple guitars and some keyboards (HEAVILY treated piano and Mellotron (choir) were added for a gloriously chaotic and psychedelic result. DEFINITELY NOT RADIO FRIENDLY but those with adventurous taste might find something to enjoy here.

Sooooooo, that leaves me with ONE track to complete, this being "My Royalties Paid for WHAT?????!!! This will be my sort of avant-metal turn the Marshall amps up to 11 blow down the doors sort of tune, Hopefully I can begin to get some of this on disc in the next week or so, it'll feature loud crunchy guitars and EVEN MORE gratuitous gong usage!





On The Player




A delightfully colorful, humorous and quirky yet oddly accessible slice of German psychedelic rock from 1972, some might describe it as the best Jefferson Airplane album that Jefferson Airplane NEVER made. Fun stuff!

Thursday, July 5, 2007

The Friday Follies

Here it is folks, a collection of random rants, quips, thoughts questions and miscellany for a Friday, my first, and certainly NOT last Friday Follies. Have to admit though, I got the idea from one Jim Wooten, a regular columnist for the Atlanta Journal Constiution with his weekday "Thinking Right" column and it's "Friday Free-For-All edition. Well, here goes:



1) The Scooter Libby Sort-Of-Pardon: Err, excuse me, COMMUTING HIS SENTENCE.

OK, it irritates me enough that George Dubbaya COULD NOT leave well enough alone a much deserved (and in my honest opinion, a rather LIGHT) prison sentence (his assertions that he respected the jury's decision are COMPLETE BS!). In his typical mediocre, weak, spineless fashion, he can't even be honest enough to come out and issue a full pardon. but I guess 'ol Wimpy George is biting his nails thinking he'll be percieved as "condoning criminal activity" (which is moot poot given that this current administration is one big criminal enterprise to start with). I guess all well and good that he left the $250,000 fine and 2 years probation stand (real civic minded of ya there GWB) but it galls me that he went only half-way. George, either do something the whole danged way or not at all! Wimpiness is NOT a trait of a leader. AND REAL LEADERS DO NOT CONDONE CRIMINAL ACTIVITY LIKE THIS!!



And while I'm at it, the Democrats and a few Republicans with some spine are outraged at this short-circuiting of justice. I normaly don't agree with the Democrats on much, but I do share the outrage. However, I think Hillary specifically should've kept her trap shut, only because her husband issued a ridiculous amount of last-minute "Fire-Sale" pardons (146 to be exact) for some really sleazy people like fugitive financier Marc Rich for example. Justice short circuited time and time again.



2) Read of The Week: Lee Iacocca's brutally honest, witty and oddly uplifting "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?", in which the veteran former CEO of Ford and Chrysler shares his hard-earned life lessons, EXCORIATES the Bush administration for their incompetence and puts on the table a number of very good ideas for us as a nation to regain our greatness. This is one of those, "Can't Put It Down" books for certain, and very refreshing on many fronts. Dang Lee, I wish you were running for President!



3) Two Things That REALLY Bug Me About 9/11: Outside of the fact that a bunch of mindless, ruthless Islamic terrorists attacked our country completely unprovoked, the fact that we continue to have ANY kind of relationship with Saudi Arabia in light of the fact that the Saudi government provided (and probably still continues to do so) funding and facilities for the training of terrorists (INCLUDING THE ONES WHO HIJACKED THOSE PLANES!), as if having us dependent on their damned oil wasn't enough! I'll admit it, after 9/11 happened, I wanted so bad for war to be declared on S.A. for their complicity in what happened on 9/11 and other terrorist attacks as well. Why didn't we?


a) Our damned oil addiction! This could be a whole rant by itself (and likely will be), but you know, maybe it's time we took a clue from the sizable nation of Brazil (of course, we're too danged arrogant to think we can learn from anyone outside our national sphere unfortunately). Over 10 years ago, Brazil wised up and took a GIGANTIC leap of faith to energy independence (by way of bio-fuels and more). Within this coming year, they will NEVER have to buy a drop of foreign oil again and be at the mercy of ruthless and unscrupulous cartels and unstable oil prices/markest. Can we get outraged enough to say to the cartels and short-sighted oil companies alike "SCREW YOU and your arrogant manipulation!" and do it ourselves. I honestly believe we have the resources to do it, but where's the outrage? Where's the resolve? The Bush administration and many previous have sadly shown a gross lack of leadership and concern over this dilemma. But worse, we as a nation have become too complacent! Can we get up off our duffs and say ENOUGH!!!!???



b) The Bush family has a rather close relationship (and one methinks is HIGHLY inappropriate and just plain WRONG!) with the Saudi royal family. Amazing, ain't it!! For folks who claim to value the ideals of our Founding Fathers, they so readily take to being a little too chummy with a regime that lives in resplendent luxury while it oppresses it's citizens with harsh, draconian Islamic religious police, finances and facilitates terrorists and has us by the family jewels with their damned oil! George Dubbaya has indeed given the Saudi goverment a free-pass on 9/11. Criminals all in my book! I hope one day in my lifetime that the Saudi government is called to account for their complicity in these horrific crimes against humanity.



And wasn't it George Washington who once remarked "Avoid entangling foreign alliances"


4) The ONE Redeeming Feature of the Bush Administration: It ceratinly has provided DECADES worth of material for comics, satirists, historians, bloggers and social critics alike!

5) Just Wondering # 481: What is the appeal of wax/plastic fruit? Have any lawsuits ever erupted over someone biting into these things unwittingly? A conspiracy by the dental industry? (LOL)

6) Santa Claus, Jolly Old Elf or CIA Spook?

7) Just Wondering # 322: Can lawyers sue themselves?

8) On Genesis reforming and touring this year, is it possible 'ol Phil Collins needs a little extra "Divorce Money?" He lost wife #4. Would I have gone and seen them, NO WAY! I couldn't have cared less about the Phil-era pop material (it was so cheesy and had NONE of the brilliance of the Peter Gabriel-era) Gabriel and Steve Hackett were approached to do the reunion but declined. Probably just as well, Phil hasn't exactly got the chops he once had on drums.

9) Why is it that dogs LOVE to stick their heads out the window of a moving car and feel a vicious wind, yet if you blow in their face, they get mad at you?

10) Are there such things as, Subliminal Advertising Agencies?

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Happy Fourth of July and Don't Forget Why

It's been well over 2oo years since a brave group of visionaries we commonly refer to as the Founding Fathers hammered out a bold Declaration of Independence from a British tyrant known as King George, and with an unshakable resolve, went to battle for what they held dear, namely independence from Britain and the right to choose our destiny as a country and as individual people without government micromanagement and interference. For this, I am always going to be thankful. Were the founders of our country perfect or saints? HELL NO!! They had human failings and frailties like the rest of us, but they stood united for something noble that transcended all that. The idea of individual liberty, free-will and personal responsibility for one's own life and the course it took, and having a just and moral society in which to practice those ideals.

The ensuing Revolutionary War was bloody and perilous to put it mildly, but in the end, it was truly worth it. The Founding Fathers took a huge risk, in that if we lost, they ALL could've been hanged for treason by the British government. Thankfully, that didn't come to pass.

So, a couple centuries later, as we gather with family, friends and the like to BBQ and share good times, please don't forget what led up to this day we celebrate our independence from tyranny.

And given our current state of affairs with an administration that seems hell-bent on throwing the Constitution and the rule of law in the garbage, presided over by someone named George, let's keep in mind we DON'T have to accept this state of affairs, the Founding Fathers were mad enough not to either.

Declaration of Independence

The US Constitution

The Bill of Rights and Constitutional Amendments