Sauron kept a 'watchful eye' as well

So full page ad in the Nation's Newspaper - USA Today:

Shouldn't we expect better from the "Humane Society"?

This from a group called HumaneWatch.org with the tag line:

"Keeping a watchful eye on the Humane Society of the United States"

Interesting me thinks to myself, I don't know a lot about either group, but I do know the Humane Society does a lot of good work.  Apparently, according to the folks at HumaneWatch.org they"

[g]ive less than one-half of one percent of its $100 million budget to hands-on pet shelters and the wealthy animal rights group has socked away over $8.5 million of American's donations in its own pension fund.

Wow, someone is sure upset with the Humane Society.  I wonder what this HumaneWatch.org group is all about......  Ahhhh....yea, that explains it HumaneWatch.org is operated by Richard Berman a Washington-based lobbyist. According to Wikipedia:

Through his public affairs firm Berman and Company, Berman runs several industry-funded non-profit organizations such as the Center for Consumer Freedom and the Center for Union Facts. Berman's companies have run numerous media campaigns downplaying the dangers of obesity, smoking, mad cow disease and drunk driving, as well as criticizing the minimum wage.  60 Minutes has called him "the booze and food industries' weapon of mass destruction,"and his nickname (from both friends and enemies) is "Dr. Evil", an alias in which he takes pride.

Here is something to remember kids, this guy does not do this stuff because he is against it.  He would probably be against mom and apple pie if somebody cut him a check.  The question is who is paying him to smear an organization that does a lot of good?  My guess is the big guys who slaughter a bunch of pigs, cattle, and chickens along with the guys that use the meat.

As a meat eater I understand that there is a best way and a not good way to raise and slaughter animals.  I thought Food Inc. did a pretty good job laying out their take on this industry although one cannot feed 300 million people without some type of assembly line slaughter, so compromises need to be made.  This "watchful eye" shenanigan is not honest nor will it change my opinion.

BTW: What is a "Hands-on pet shelter"?

Note to the businesses that fund dickwads like Berman.  If I find out you did, I will make sure not to set foot in your store or buy your product.  So ask yourself if it's worth the cost to be dishonest even if you pay someone else to do the dirty work.

So the New York Times - you know the liberal loving biased main-stream media outlet - catches Connecticut Attorney General and Democratic Senate Candidate Richard Blumenthal in a lie about his Vietnam War participation.

Now it's not the lie that gets my goat - you know - grinds my gears, it's how, when called out on it, they lie even more.  Had he said "You are correct, I should never have said that - should never had implied that, it does a disservice to my fellow Marines who fought over there, I apologize" he may have survived it.

But Nooooooooo, that would be too honest.

Blumenthal - you got caught - red handed - fabricating a story of how you "served in Vietnam."  This statement was not "misspoken" you knew at the time and all the other times that you had not served "in" Vietnam.  You served "during" but not "in". These two words are not confused by anyone "unintentionally."

Anyone who received deferments knows they did not serve "in" Vietnam.  These were not "misplaced words", a verbal faux pa, or a Freudian slip of the tongue. You lied.

It is good that you take "full responsibility" for what you said, only you don't want to admit that you lied when you really know you did.  If there is one thing worst than a fabricator of real life experience it is one that lies about it when they are caught.

OK, so let's give you the benefit of the doubt - you used the wrong words.  Well that just means you are really dumb for not knowing the difference and how those that served might take offense to someone seeking credit for that same effort.

Note to people wanting to lead me:  Don't pretend to be something you are not, and if you are not smart enough to grasp these really simple concepts, do us a favor and stay home.  



 

I love America - Let's Bomb Iran

An interesting (to say the least) fight is going on for the minds and hearts of our Texas Youth.  The Neo/Ultra-conservative movement, which seems to get more and more wrapped up in it's own ever increasing hyperbole, wants to revise American history they think has been corrupted.  What conclusion one draws is as important as knowing the facts, and currently, to their way of thinking, students are forced to listen to biased information leading them to conclude........what?

The 'what' is what I don't get.  I got through public school and college without coming to the conclusion that America is bad.  The conclusion I did come up with was that people do bad things and if you do not have checks and balances they will continue to do bad things.  But the neocons, this new wave of "we are right-our God is awesome-America is the best!" thinking individuals that took up the call to run for public office, seem to believe their rhetoric and underestimate the harm they will cause as they try to rectify what they perceive is our history written by folks obsessed with oppression.

Right after Iran took the hostages my sisters and I went to a big patriotic rally at the L.A. Coliseum.  It was about half full if I recall correctly.  We heard rousing speeches, heard patriotic music, and got to buy a lot of stuff - which I still have - including a bumper sticker that I proudly displayed at my work space describing my very Christian sentiments:  "Let's Bomb Iran."

You see back then I really loved America, loved it enough to want to turn every man woman and child in Iran into glass.  I understood Iranians to be the folks that took my fellow Americans hostage.  Nothing more and nothing less.  If they had to die to preserve my country's honor and to pay for their misdeed, well so be it.

What I did not understand at the time was why this whole event took place.  You see I had nothing to compare and contrast, no background, no understanding of what motivated my new enemy.  All I knew was I loved America and they had just spat on the country I loved.  Plus they were not Christians, so that made them even more evil.

When you see yourself as perfect, it's hard to understand why anyone would have a problem with you.  My God, we are America, look at how many people want to move here - from Iran even!  How could anyone have problems with us if we are good, God fearing, and stand on the side of justice for all?

Well we are all those things and we are not those things.  When we do things for the right reason we should be proud and when we do it for the wrong reason, like keeping a Shaw in power the people did not want, then we deserve the criticism and yes, the outrage that leads to the taking of hostages.  What is important here is to understand the dynamics in play so that we learn form them and - if we are smart - don't repeat them.

So how does McLeroy and his neocon cohorts think this point in history should be taught?  Apparently if one discusses the anger of Iranians over the U.S.'s role it is seen as being apologetic.  The thinking appears to be that we played no role in these malcontents behavior, and even if we did - it was done for purely sound reasons of National Security - the taking of hostages is clearly reprehensible and deserves no discussion as to why.

There is a danger in not wanting to evaluate equally all the pieces in play.  It is hard to accept that - yes, you did start the fire.  What is important is to understand the dynamics and move past and forward in a manner that is both aware of them and able to overcome or avoid them, lest history repeat itself.

I too love America for all it has provided me and I want to make sure that what it has to offer in the future is real and not based on a patriotic duty to ignore, forget, not mention, justify, mislead, condone, or avoid what has taken place in the past to get us to this point in time..

Iranians, I apologize for wanting you all to die.  Now that I know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth it is much easier for me to realize that I was wrong.  I'm still pissed as hell that you did it, but at least I understand why.

Compare and Contrast this!

I find it, well.......disturbing - that we have elected to our State Board of Education folks that are so hell bent on elevating the perception to our children that America is great and it got that way simply because it is great.

Here is one of many changes the good folks at McLeroy's Neocon SBE have recommended for 8th Grade Social Studies. 

Now compare and contrast is good, I like to do it now, but as a kid I sucked at it.  It teaches critical thinking which is a good thing, a good type of pedagogy.  But you can only compare and contrast things that are related. Jean Pierre Godet"s "I love America" words cannot be compared or contrasted with anything Susan B Anthony's said.
 
Why the brilliant scholars at the Texas SBE think students will come away with something of relevance shows just how clueless these people are.  Susan B Anthony was a leader in the woman's suffrage movement, you know, when loving America for keeping the vote from woman was what made us great!

The same goes for Upton Sinclair who wrote about the U.S. meat packing industry leading to the passage a few months later of the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act.  And Ida B. Wells who wrote about lynchings and civil rights for blacks, and WEB DuBois who dealt with racism in America.

 To conclude that their work was the result of pessimism is to miss the big picture here.  They were moved to act because America during their time was flawed. Yes the same America that Godet loved for allowing him to dream a new dream was the same one holding others down.  Without their optimism to see that change was possible, without their personal sacrifice, without their toil for a cause that would benefit others not just themselves, where would we be?

Now the neocon way of thinking is let's forget all that bad stuff, focus on just the good.  Why?  I think I know, it's because they want the America of the past.  They don't see these people as moving us forward, they see it as a change that destroyed our American Values.  Why celebrate muckrakers - it only encourages others (students) to challenge the status quo. We will give you change that we want and you should be grateful for what you have.

Contrary to McLeroy's neocon way of thinking, historians are not obsessed by oppression when they discuss these individuals and the warts that were part of the day to day encounters.  Oppression leads to change, change is what is recorded and what should be learned.  Being told that Godet "loved America" is beneficial in what way other than "golly-jeepers that sure feels swell!"

Lets look at this from another angle:

I love King George for giving so many of us the right to dream a new dream in America.  Such words were lost on muckrakers such as Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, and Adams.  

Compare and contrast that optimism!


Note: Yea - I changed "put an end to woman's suffrage" As my kid pointed out with that look of "you idiot!"

Pedagogy a-go-go

Linda Chavez an "ex-liberal"had an article in the Dallas Morning News today called "Lets focus on U.S. history, not ethnic studies."  One of these days I will get to spend time discussing the issue brought up, but no.....instead I need to focus on the information she uses to defend her position.

Ms. Chavez states that the Tucson Unified School Districts ethnic studies course identifies some of the goals as: 

Advocating for and providing curriculum that is centered within the pursuit of social justice. ... Working towards the invoking of a critical consciousness within each and every student. ... Providing and promoting teacher education that is centered within Critical Pedagogy, Latino Critical Race Pedagogy and Authentic Caring.

Now I am going to assume that this is what it actually states, because even if it did not, my point would still be the same. Ms Chavez writes:

The idea of the public schools promoting "race pedagogy" of any sort should send shivers down the spine[.]

Apparently, like me, Ms. Chavez has no clue what "pedagogy" means.  Unlike her, I am willing to admit my ignorance and look it up.  Now there are a number of definitions that all lead to the same meaning.  You can see them all here.  The one I will settle on is this:

Pedagogy is the art and science of how something is taught and how students learn it. Pedagogy includes how the teaching occurs, the approach to teaching and learning, the way the content is delivered and what the students learn as a result of the process.

So, apparently the art and science of how Latino Critical Race is taught and how students learn it should make my spine tingle with angst.  Not exactly sure why an ethnic studies class that focuses on the Latino race is upsetting.  To me it's no different than studying geography and focusing on Japan.  (As an aside, I think the way the goals are worded is designed to sound academic at the expensive of being understandable, I mean what does 'Latino Critical' mean?  Be critical of Latinos or Latinos are critical.)

Now y'all know (all two of my readers) that I am critical of people that do not cite their work.  Because it becomes at best hearsay and at worst made up shit designed to move the point in a particular direction.  So when Ms Chavez writes:

According to a series in the Arizona Republic last year, videos posted online showed Tucson Chicano Studies classrooms decorated with "heroes" such as communist dictator Fidel Castro, Ernesto "Che" Guevara, the Argentine revolutionary who served in Castro's regime and ordered the deaths of thousands of innocent Cubans, and Pancho Villa, a common criminal whose escapades were more about enriching himself than freeing Mexico from one of its perennial dictators, Porfirio Diaz.

I am a bit skeptical.  So I went to the Arizona Republic's web site and put in the search box and found this

In one of Romero's TUSD classrooms, in fact, a video posted for a time on the Internet Web site YouTube showed at least four separate posters of the beret-capped Ché decorating the classroom walls. And a poster of Pancho Villa. And, yes, one poster of the godfather of the revolution himself, Fidel.

I cannot find the video mentioned on YouTube. Now I have no idea if these posters are there to promote these men as heroes or as part of a particular history lesson.  See, that's what is missing here, context.  Without the video all we have is the reporter's description - and you know how biased mainstream media is, I have no idea who to trust on this one.

Now I don't really have a lot to say about the merits of ethnic or gender studies programs.  They do seem a little patronizing, and I can understand the argument that they put in what is left out when traditional American history is taught.  Are the teachers leftest America-haters? Possibly, but it is also possible that they understand the value in what is being taught, that they understand Ché, Fidel Castro and  Pancho Villa are important figures in Latino history.  You know, similar to the Confederate flag and statues of Jefferson Davis that are still in place.

And that my good woman is what Pedagogy is all about.

See Dick, See Dick Shill, See Dick take your money....

So Dick Morris, Clinton's one time pal and now a darling for the lunatic fringe on the right, wants to help you "protect your money and financial freedom" from:

President Barack Obama [who] is leading America down a dangerous path to socialism. But, en route, he will take us through an even longer recession than we need to have; rocketing inflation, and perhaps a second downturn to cure the inflation.

/yawn.

Dick Morris has "agreed to participate in a special seminar online called "The Call To Arms" hosted by my friend Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax as well as famed former CNN anchor Bob Losure."  He discloses that:

Even though they are paying me to send you this e mail; I have, in fact, invested my own money with them because I think they are onto something. We expect upwards of 250,000 people to participate.

OK, so if Dick Morris is in, I'm in!  I wonder if this is open to me too?

I want to encourage you to sign up for this "Call to Arms" online meeting. There is no charge to attend. After you sign up, they will give you FREE access to a members-only website. This site will help you protect your wealth and investments from the far-reaching hands of Barack Obama and the Democrats in Washington.

Woot!  I too can sign up for Call to Arms - just like good ol' Dick did.  So what's this call to arms thing all about?

On May 7, 2009, Newsmax hosted "A Call to Arms," a "national internet webcast" which invited viewers to pay $1,295 for a package including a year's worth of stock tips from Ruddy's "chief financial adviser." Ruddy wrote (PDF) that the "Million Dollar Secret Code" he promoted in the "Call to Arms" is based on the stock-picking of analyst David Frazier, whom Ruddy called his "private financial weapon." Ruddy stated that he was investing $1 million of Newsmax's money in the promotion, adding, "David believes he can bring a 50% to 70%-plus return over the next 12 months to this $1 million." The promotion would provide "About 36 Massive Profit/Minimum Risk Plays," in which "[y]ou will be given guidance about exactly what to buy, at what price, and how much. David Frazier will provide you with all of the research and analysis behind each recommendation. And you will get a 48-hour head start on me, before I can buy the exact same stock recommendations."

So....let's do the math

50% to 70% return on investment.  Wow - that's fantastic!  They believe in it enough to put one million of their own money into it.  Well hell - even if it only did 10% that would be pretty damn good!  If it is so good, why not sink all they have into what your "private financial weapon" has to say?  Why only one million?

They are gunning for 250,000 suckers, sorry I mean investors to fork over $1,295 bucks for "36 Massive Profit/Minimum Risk Plays."  250,000 x 1,295 = $323,750.000.

Lets say that their total capital outlay is one million dollars, with part of that going to their new friend, Dick Morris and to pay for the internet and mailing and promotion.

If, they got 10% of the 250,000 fools, sorry I mean investors to participate, that would bring in $32,375,000.

If involving Dick in this gets a 1% bite of the 250,000 idiots, sorry I mean investors they think are out there, well that's a net haul of $3,237,500.

1% of 250,000 is 2500 people that watch Fox News, are scared of Obama, and would believe that the Dick has found them away to protect their money.

2500 people is 50 from each state (probably more from Alaska and Arizona)

So if it costs a million bucks for them to put on this promotion, and they give advice and inform you of the risk, no laws will be broken and they will make 3.2 million dollars.

1 million invested as per Call to Arms = $750,000 maximum potential return

1 million invested IN the Call to Arms scheme = $3,237,500 potential based on 1% of the 250,000 targets they have set their sights on.

I wonder which path ol' Dick went for?  He does not say he is following their advice just that he "invested my own money with them because I think they are onto something."

You do the math.....

C'mon people use your head not Dick!


Source: Media Matters

The 4th Amendment Goose and the 1070 Gander

Let's say we are having a real problem with people possessing stolen guns.  Some of those guns are used in a crime, most are just kept hidden out of view.

Now these stolen guns cost the rest of us a lot of money.  They raise our insurance rates, they coast money to replace, they create an imbalance between good people and bad, and they take away my my ability to defend myself if they are missing.

Now my state finds that there are compelling reasons to justify a law to make sure that only those who legitimately bought and registered the gun should be the only one's allowed to have them in their homes.

This new law gives the police the right to search the house and ask for proof of gun ownership and registration anytime they have a reasonable suspicion that there is a stolen, unregistered, or illegitimately obtained weapon possibly present.

• Would this be considered an evasion of privacy when the police ask to look for a gun or request documentation for a gun they think may be there?

• Would the police be out of line to ask a law abiding citizen for proof of ownership for a weapon anytime reasonable suspicion is warranted regardless of the situation?

• Would law abiding gun owners feel threatened by a law such as this?

• Would the NRA oppose such a law and call for a boycott of the state that imposed it?

• Would me telling law abiding gun owners "if you are not breaking the law - you have nothing to fear" piss them off?

Now if you answer "Yes" to all these questions then you understand how upsetting it must be to law abiding citizens of Arizona - that because they don't look as lily white as me - could/will/may be asked to prove they are a citizen.  The problem with illegals does not warrant this line of questioning or methodology just as the hypothetical I posed above does not.

If you can't see a difference, then you will have nothing to fear when I impose my "compelling interest" for public safety, freedom, and security on you.  Hey, as long you are law abiding who cares what they ask or where they look, only bad guys have something to hide. Live with it!

It's a phobia and you got it sister!

You know......there are a lot of really bad people reporting stuff out there. Unfortunately they all seem to have conservative as their designation.

I was trying to find a Fox News story I saw on the demise of Newsweek - but could not so I can't really discuss it without being able to cite it. So in the process I came across some woman named Debbie Schlussel.

Apparently Ms. Schlussel is a "Conservative political commentator, radio talk show host, columnist, and attorney" and according to her Encyclopedia Britannica-sized "About Debbie" she is an expert on "radical Islam/Islamic terrorism."

I was once an expert on WMD and how to properly respond, but that's a story for another time.

So here is one of her blogs (please read the comments if you want to be enlightened as to the state of understanding by those who follow these types of "experts").

Your Day in “Moderate Muslim” America

This story was about a kid in Manchester NH that threw a "bomb bag" into one of his classrooms. Now before you say OMG! let me explain that a bomb bag is nothing more than an Mylar sealed pouch filled with citric acid and sodium bicarbonate. When you break the inside bag the two mix and gas is created and the "bomb" is a pop - like a plastic bag makes. Here is a good description of how this "bomb" works.

Now nothing in the police report, or the news makes any reference to Ismael Bang (yes- that's the kid's name) being Muslim or Islamic - yet our "terrorism expert" Ms. Schlussel has put two and two together. Because "Ismael" is a Muslim name, Mr. Bang is Muslim. I kid you not, this is what she says:

Hey, kids, it’s time for another edition of “Guess the Religion.” I’m sure his name is “Ismael” just by coincidence. Probably a Wiccan or a Buddhist.

Here is a picture of Ismael Bang.

You can see "Muslim" written all over him. Here is another picture of a guy named Ismael Bang. He is a rapper- and also because of his name - a Muslim. Now if these two guys are one and the same - I have no idea - but damn! those Muslims have nice six-pack abs!

Now based on Schlussel's logic, the name denotes the religion, and the throwing of a gag bomb is just another reason why "students–and other Americans–are afraid of Islamic students."

Now here is something funny: We gave our two adult sons the same gag gift for Christmas (8 pound baby Jesus loves a good laugh) - only ours were the stink bag bombs that go bang and smell like rotten eggs. They were a buck at the dollar store (a Muslim Mecca for cheap bombs)

Since my boy's names are "Sam" and "Max" one can conclude that they must be Jewish - so when they threw the stink bag bomb into the room - it was just another example of how Jews killed Jesus and hate Christians.

And so......we conclude with her conclusion:

It’s not a phobia. It’s called “being an informed consumer.”

Yes Ms. Schlussel, it is called a phobia, and you, my good woman, are terribly misinformed, arrogant, stupid, or more than likely - all three.

Note: My boys are not Jewish just very naughty!

Things a Good Christian Man Does

Allen Academy, Bryan Texas, has hired Dave Bliss, you know, the ex-Baylor guy who threw one of his dead players under the bus in an effort to cover up his own wrongdoing.

"He's a great coach and a great Christian" says Former Allen Trustee Dennis Goehiring.

"What happened at Baylor was an unfortunate situation in an otherwise sterling career" says Lynn Hickey former Texas A&M head coach of the woman's team.

Poor coach bliss - well not really, he just got a nice job while he waits out his 10 year penalty to coach in NCAA. Prediction: in 2015 Coach Bliss will leave Allen Academy.

So he is repentant, sorry, "suffered tremendous consequences" - but should he be the coach for young kids? It's not making a mistake that should ever prevent another chance. It is the type of mistake that really needs to be looked at. In my opinion "despicable" behavior is not a one time event, especially for a "Christian man."

We send kids home from Texas A&M with felonies for marijuana possession preventing them from ever moving forward in their career. We discharge top grade military folk who we find out are gay. We charge 18 year old kids as sex offenders because their underage girlfriend's parents did not like their daughters boyfriend when he was under 18.

And yet, Coach Bliss will be allowed to coach young children - well at least until 2015 when he will take a better job coaching a little bit older young people.

Kind of harsh aren't we there Jeff? Yes - yes I am. Lets look at what he did:

• Patrick Dennehy's [murdered Baylor Basketball Palyer] girlfriend had told them Bliss paid for the sections of Dennehy and Herring's tuition not covered by financial aid.

• Bliss confessed to making the payments, estimated at $7,000—a major violation of NCAA rules.

• Two members of Baylor's 2001-02 squad told the Dallas Morning News that Bliss and several members of his staff had been present at a pickup game involving star recruit Harvey Thomas during his official visit to Baylor—another major NCAA rules violation.

• It also emerged that Bliss and his staff knew about rampant marijuana and alcohol abuse among Baylor players, but did not follow procedures for reporting failed drug tests.

• After Bliss resigned [from Baylor], it emerged that he had told players to make up a story about Dennehy being a drug dealer in order to pay for his tuition. The story was intended to serve as a cover-up for Bliss paying Dennehy's tuition. The conversations were tape-recorded by one of Bliss' assistants, Abar Rouse. Bliss had threatened to fire Rouse if he didn't go along with the scheme, leading Rouse to record the conversations.

Maybe he has re-evaluated his life and really understands his despicable actions. Only God knows what's in his heart. Soon the kids at Allen Academy will get all the benefits of this good Christian man. Oh, and they will win in sports too. Forgot about that one.

Oh, and if they need a teacher, Amy Beck will be available in 10 months. And if they need a school hall monitor, William Dickson Jr. just resigned and is also available.

Lynn Matsko Has Her Eyes On Your Kids!

OK, I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, but try as I may I can't come up with any other reason except YOU ARE LYING.

Yes, Ms. Harriton High School Assistant Principal Lynn Matsko, you are the next contest for "To NOT tell the truth."

The story "Pa. school district's webcam surveillance focus of suit" goes like this (USA Today):

The Robbins family says they found out about the webcam photos when Harriton High School Assistant Principal Lynn Matsko called Blake into her office to discuss possible drug use she learned of through photos and instant messages captured on Blake's computer. The photo, Blake's parents say, shows the 15-year-old holding a handful of Mike and Ike candies.

Now we could discuss the issue of it not being the school's business what goes on out side of the school - pro or con. We could discuss the right to monitor students behavior via screen shots or webcam. We could discuss ACLU, right-to-privacy, and Big Brother issues. Maybe for another post. This one is about lying.

Matsko says she did not monitor students' laptops nor authorize anyone else to do so. At a February news conference, she called the accusation "unjust" and "offensive."

So......how did the Mike n' Ike pill popin' kid come to your attention? If you weren't monitoring him or anyone else then you would not have found need to call him to the office and - as proof - show him the photo you had not obtained from monitoring. See, you did monitor him, and possibly others. If you did not then you would not have seen anything that looked like drug use in the kid's own bedroom.

Now this we know - there are 52000 photos of different kids that were collected. Somebody knew that photos were being taken. Somebody saw them. Somebody reported what they saw to you. If you did not authorize them to do so then why did you use the unauthorized photo to charge the kid with drug use?

You see where your "truth" breaks down? If you did not authorize it then you yourself did the monitoring. If no one was monitoring then no one would have confused the Mike n' Ikes with drugs necessitating an office visit with you.

You are lying.

Here is what I think transpired. You could not walk away from such a powerful tool as Big Brother's Telescreen that would allow students to be scrutinized by you or your staff and/or because students and parents signed a policy acknowledging the school could monitor the laptops' contents and Internet usage you felt justified that you had every right to do so.

So why lie about it? Not only will the 52000 photos and your association be found a violation of privacy but now you will be known as the Vice Principal of Spying and Lying. You should have put two and two together and realized you were sliding down a slippery slope. But then again, that requires a bit of wisdom and smarts.

"I'll take Lying for 52000 Alex!"

Me n' Bill Moyers

I noticed I have written 129 posts. 129 random bits of stuff I felt compelled to put down and made available for all to see. No one reads this blog except two of my "family" members and they only do it so I don't feel bad.

I continue to write it because it gives me something to do and it allows me to synthesize my thoughts on a topic. Because I force my self to cite the information I use to counter something, I become better informed. Case in point was my post on "cop killer bullets."

I think there is a need for all different takes on things, especially from honest brokers which is what I am trying to be. I have no self-serving agenda - no dog in any one particular hunt. I am pro humanity, against torture, and think we have both a moral and social obligation towards one another.

You can call me a parent, a husband, a teacher, a mentor because I want to be those things, even though I fall short. I am not a conservative but neither do I want to be called a liberal. I am not idealogical except on two points - I believe that man can be better and you can engineer out most problems. My views are changeable based on where the data takes me unless they conflict fundamentally with what I am.

When it's all said and done I want to be remembered in a similar manner as Bill Moyers who will be retiring this year:

Assessing Moyers' work in the L.A. Times recently, Neal Gabler wrote: There's no shortage of loudmouths on television. There is, however, a very short supply of soft-spoken moralists: exactly one. Moyers can speak truth to power precisely because his motives are unimpeachable, his independence firmly established, his respect for ideas and thought amply demonstrated.

Hopefully "being remembered" wont be for 25 or more years, but that's what I want my rambling to be seen as.

Cheers!