Viewer Number 20,000...

...just stopped by for a virtual look at my site. Thanks for stopping by. That person, whoever you may be, is over in or about Adelaide, Austraila and used bigpond.net to access my site. G'day mate, and thanks again!

All the best,
Glenn B

Days Of Future Passed...

The Moody Blues, 1967. All I can say is wow what an excellent album. I cannot remember listening to this whole album all at one sitting in over 30 years, and therefore I cannot believe what I was letting myself miss out on for all that time.

Listening to it right now is like reliving a daydream that never quite faded away. If you are as old as me, and decide to listen to this, pay careful attention to the track: The Morning: Another Morning. Tell me was that childhood living or what!

This came out right as I passed from childhood into my teen years. I almost 12, or 12, when it was recorded in October 1967, and definitely 12 when it was released in November that same year. Yeah, I was a Beatles fan then, but that was all soon to change with fine music and lyrics like this, and this album was played over an over for years back then. This was definitely one of the first of all life based impressionistic albums of my youth. They covered life in a day, and I do mean a whole life covered in one day, all in one album of only 7 songs. From: "The Day Begins" all the way through to "The Night: Nights in White Satin". Damn it was and is good, and was as they said it from yesterday's dreams to tomorrows sighs. To which I can truly say: today's sighs are often remnants of yesterday dreams for sure - mixed in with all that stuff we never dared dream about that blew many of our dreams all asunder (like growing up, graduating school, getting a job, war, crime, politics, hate, love, getting married, working hard for almost nothing so your kids will have it better, did I forget to mention having kids, slaving to get the American dream, illness, middle age, death, hardship, success, joy, old age and whatever).

Still though, some of those Nights in White Satin have survived unopened by the reader to whom they were written but to whom never sent. Those dreams survived all the way until today, many only tucked away in the recesses of faded memory, some more easily recalled. Yet others of them, at least for some of us, actually unfolded by the one for whom they were meant, blossomed into a reality, a lifetime of wonder, more marvelous than could ever have been just dreams of our youth. Dreams or reality you decide which was the better. Me I'll take the reality built upon the dreams, even upon the ones that never quite made it. As the album's last words said: "..but we decide which is right, and which is an illusion".

All the best,
Glenn B

Trivia For The Night

I am not one to post many trivia type questions, but I just found out something about one of my favorite magazines of my childhood (my favorite from about 8 years old through my early teenage years). I would like to share that trivia with all of you, but only if someone can guess it correctly - and please do so without cheating, and without looking at the comments section first to see if someone else has guessed it already. Try to answer the question, then leave a comment with the answer you had in mind, not effected by an answer someone else already gave.

Who was the first man to be pictured on the cover of Playboy Magazine?

This is not a trick question, and the answer may surprise some of you, it sure did me. Somehow though, the more I think of it, the more I see him as having been the perfect first for that honor. He often played the role of playboy, and he surely had some gorgeous wives, but that is more than enough for the hints.

The first person to get it right has my heartfelt admiration as a true trivia buff (that of course so long as you don't cheat and that is totally up to you). In other words I have no prizes for this.

Oh by the way - just give it a guess even if you never would look at something like Playboy. The fun is figuring out who such a mag would have as its first man on the cover - a difficult guess if you are not a Playboy fan, or a fan of this actor (an maybe even if you are a fan of his).

All the best,
Glenn B

Oh Angela baby - do I make you randy?

I suppose that Angela is just some hacker's program that places silly comments into the comments areas on peoples' blogs. Here is what I got from her, posted to my rant on Global Warming, immediately proceeding this one:

"Anonymous said...

I am Angela. A mature and beautiful 40+ woman, I want to explore new relationship by Internet. So I have uploaded many hot and sexy photos on BoomerMingle.com under the name HotbAudrey. You maybe want to check out my photos firstly!

27 February, 2008 02:59"

Funny how Angela has a site called hotbAudrey - I suppose she may have an identity crisis on her hands.

This was my reply, and is my response to try to avoid such in the future:

"With my luck Angela is a chick with a -ick. Sorry, I just could not resist. I have enabled word verification to try to avoid comments like this in the future; if that does not work, I will put comment moderation into effect."

While we all can use a good laugh, I prefer to have my comments sections reserved for comments about my blog, and not act as a advertisement for folks the likes of Angela. Sadly though, forever from tonight, I'll wonder if she was real and if I made her randy - oh baby!

Now truly, I hope no one is silly enough to visit that website.

All the best,
Glenn B

Now This Would BE Global Warming...

...and if this is the way it turns out, well then I will have had to admit (should I still be around) that Al Gore was right about fearing Global Warming, but just not in our lifetimes. I mean 7.6 billion years is a long way off isn't it! Read this, it is the Global Warming theory of the century: Scientists Predict When World Will End. Kind of funny how these scientists are seemingly taking the lead from Al G in as much as their theory contradicts all the other science out there about the earth being sucked into the sun. Oh well, what does science, or the lack of it, matter anyway in this age of air headed Al Gore like enlightenment.

Just imagine all the Red Giant Days sales that places like Walmart will have and you won't be bothered with thinking about doomsday scientists at all. I am gonna stock up on beer, and wieners for a nice BBQ.

All the best,
Glenn B

Monday Night Already...

...where in Hades did Sunday go? Well I spent some of yesterday finalizing my taxes, and trying to get my daughter's taxes done. Alas she complained when I claimed her as a dependent, as was my right to do, we had an argument, the wife chimed in on her side, we had more of an argument, and I stopped doing the taxes.

Today I had to see my doc for some bad aches and pains and other things that have been bothering me for the past month and a half; for some reason they were worse this morning - go figure. Doc says: "Maybe a virus" - when have I heard that catch all before? Then I went home to finalize my taxes; this time one dependent less. In all I had to pay $2,799 for state and federal combined. A bit less than I previously had thought which was $3,008. Well that is over and done with, and paid for electronically, or will be once the feds and state approve my tax filings. After getting the taxes done I was back at the doc's office for a echo-cardiogram or sonogram of the heart. Just testing she had told told me in the earlier visit of today, but best to get it done today based on my symptoms of the past month and a half (funny how she had not mentioned the EKG she took that morning). When I got there a technician took the sonogram, not my doc. Did not even see the doc again. Tomorrow is another day. I will be off to the cardiologist for a stress test. Oh well, as I have been heard to say: Another day in Paradise"!

(The above has been abridged, content was removed that was too personal. If you read it already, oh well...)

All the best,
Glenn B

Yeee Haa A New Gear Purchase...

...was made by me today. Just a day or two ago, I said I wanted one of these but just could not afford one. I gave my reasons like being low on cash, needing to find a few grand to pay to the tax man, just having paid for some expensive electrical work on the house, just having bought a bed for my son, just having put a new floor in my son's room, needing about two grand to have an oak tree cut down in my backyard. Yes the outlook for me buying the H&K p2000 SK was gloomy, and as a matter of fact it still is just as dismal. I don't think I will be getting one of them in the near future. But I did pick up a new piece of gear today despite my scant cash situation.

Last summer I fell down while on a fishing trip, and my big blubbering self landed on top of one of my fishing reels. I snapped the handle off. Since then I have tried to buy a replacement handle for it with absolutely no luck. The reel would probably last another 10 years (I have probably had it that long, maybe longer), but I just cannot find a handle for it. I was not figuring on getting a new one, but a few days ago I received a $10 coupon (good as cash) in the mail from Dick's Sporting Goods because of prior purchases I had made. I started thinking of what I could use that $10 on, anything from a brick of .22LR ammo, to a folding knife, to a box of trap/skeet shot, to a new reel. I figured I would save it until I went shopping at Dicks which I did not think would be for a month or more. Otherwise Brendan could have used it. Then yesterday I found an old Dick's gift card. I checked it and found it had a whopping $5.20 left on it, a small but nice surprise. I stuck the gift card and the coupon in my wallet.

Today I took a trip to my sister's house to visit her family and my mom who lives with them. The trip actually started out with me going to a few other places that took me somewhat east of where I live, and thereby closer to them. One thing led to another and I decided to visit them since I was getting closer and closer anyway. On my way to their place I passed a Dick's Sporting Goods and made a stop. While in there, I spied a fishing reel I liked, a spinning reel. Then I remembered the stash in my wallet. I took the reel to the counter and asked how much (in fact I took two of them, each basically the same model in different sizes). I liked the bigger one, but if it cost too much I would take the little one that was marked $24.99. When the cashier told me the bigger one was only $19.99, I took out the coupon, the gift card, and a total of $5.65 in cash and paid for it. No its not a fancy reel, not one of very high quality either, but a decent brand - Quantum (same brand as the other one that I had broken) and cost about the same as the other one did about 10 years ago. I am pretty sure it will hold up as good as the old one, and give me many seasons of good fishing (at least of good casting, I don't know if I'll catch anything).

This particular reel is a Quantum OP40F. I figure it to be a medium freshwater reel. Line capacity is 230 yards of 10 pound test; and I usually use 6 or 8 pound test, so it will hold plenty more of either of them. If I decide to use 10 or 12 pound for larger fish, it will hold more than enough of each. It has 4 stainless steel ball bearings, an aluminum spool, an extra graphite spool, and a front drag. Not quite the piece of hardware I blogged about a couple of days ago, but something I will put to very good use nonetheless.

If nothing else, my having this new reel will assure two things: Spring Fever will grab hold of me harder and earlier than usual; and if I don't get to use it, well then that will be because Brendan swiped it to use for himself. So right about now, just after I finish this rant, I am going to find a nice hiding place for it; somewhere in which I'll remember where to find it, but that he will be unlikely to look. Now where around the house do I need a job to get done?

Not a bad purchase for $5.65 cash, a gift card with a small remaining balance that I found by chance in my junk pile, and a $10 coupon I got in the mail. Sought of made my day, and while I am not often easy to please, I sure was today.

All the best,

Glenn B

For Around Here It Snowed A Lot...

...but looks like a little, I guess because it started to rain a few hours ago. When I got up at o515 hours this morning the snow had to have been about 4 inches deep, and everything around my house was completely covered even the pine tree in the pic to the right. (The pic was taken hours later after it had rained for awhile and lots of the snow had melted.). It was coming down hard too, straight down no wind, not even much of a breeze. I took one look and figured it was steady and hard enough to mean that there would be at least several more inches on the ground before it stopped. So since I was already up at that ungodly hour, I decided to take shovel in hand and get to it. I don't have all that much to shovel, but I make sure I do a good job and get as much as I can off the sidewalk, driveway, front and side walkways, stoops, and side patio. Took me a while, so thank goodness it was cold enough for the snow to be on the lighter side. Once I was done with my property, I did the side of my neighbors house. Shovelling that is probably as much as all of my property combined. I was going to do the sidewalk along the front of his house too, but the old back injury started to pain me, so I figured it was time for a break. I went inside, and took a rest.

After a few more hours or so I headed back out to shovel some more. How nice, someone had been out there and done most of it for me a second time, so it left me with only an inch or two of snow on my sidewalk. I got to it, got that off, and then hit my neighbor's house and got all of his done (someone had also done his and he only had about an inch on the ground). Looking at it all I realized there must have been 7 to 9 inches on the ground where no one had shoveled. I also realized something else, it was raining, probably had been for a while, a steady light rain or drizzle. The little bit of snow that was left was heavy. Ouch there went the back again. I called my boss and banged in sick. Heck it was noon already by the time I got back inside to call! Whoops.

Later on I decided to go out and take another look, and try to see how deep the snow was in a few places where no one had shoveled. I dipped a ruler a few times, and each time it came up between 6 to 7 inches. Since that it had warmed up a bit and rained for several hours already a lot of the snow had already melted. I suppose my earlier guess of an overall snowfall of 7-9 inches was correct. I'll have to see what I can get out of the weatherman later on this evening.

Tonight promises more snow, or at least the weatherman promises more. More on the way for tomorrow too. I only hope the wet ground does not freeze hard, and then get snowed on. That makes for difficult shoveling, slippery footing, and treacherous driving conditions. As for right now, the rain has stopped, the temp seems steady, and it looks like a winter wonderland outside. So am I out there having snowball fights, building snowmen, or sleigh riding - heck no. I am inside where I can enjoy the warmth, have a cold one, and let the Aleve do its wonders for my aching back. With any luck my son will be home before anymore white stuff covers the ground, and it will be his turn to shovel next.

All the best,

Glenn B

Tour of Duty - Almost Complete

When I signed up with Soldiers' Angels, I guess I never had a clue as to how rewarding an experience it could be for me, or for anyone. Sure I knew it would be a morale boost for the soldier who would be selected as the one to whom I would write and send care packages, well I hoped it would be a boost and sort of took for granted that it would be anyhow. As it turned out, I was assigned to a soldier. That really is sort of the way it was, I was assigned to a soldier to be his email buddy, to send care packages, to keep his spirits high, to try to let him know that there really are people who care about our troops, to... well you get the idea. What they don't tell you at Soldier's Angels is that not only do you get assigned to a soldier, you become attached to him or her. No I was not the best at keeping in touch. As per the Soldiers' Angels policy I think I was supposed to write once a week, and send letters at that. I never wrote a letter, except to include in a Christmas/Holiday Care Package, and I think I forgot to put it in the box. All I wrote were emails, and luckily my soldier had frequent access to a computer. Of course I sent a few care packages over to him and his unit too. His emails to me were not all that frequent either, understandable on his part since he was the one in the middle of a war in Afghanistan. So sometimes the arrival of his email would remind me, heck I have not written in way too long.

Our emails to one another were never very heart wrenching, were friendly but never too affectionate (heck they were emails from two married men who were writing to one another as pen pals, and I think that was strange turf for both of us to tread), they had a certain friendliness about them while still seeming as if we were somewhat aloof from one another. Despite that feeling of apartness, that separation between us, there was also a feeling of respect for one another between us, of a sort of kinship, a certain type of brotherhood, a friendship that developed. No they don't tell you that you become attached to the Soldier to whom you are assigned, I guess much how they probably never told him he would become attached and greatly affected by his time spent in a war far from home.

It is evident in his latest email to me that both those things happened. He has been affected by the war, both good and bad, to a greater extent than he usually lets on in his emails, and I could see that in his latest email, the one in which he told me he is coming home to the USA later this month. I guess when you spend a year of more anywhere you are affected by your experiences, but to spend it in a far away land where things are strikingly different than they are at home, and to be there in time of war, while others at home forget you, even show disdain for you has got to be something you cannot understand unless you have lived it.

Still though Bob S. only tries to let his good outlook on life come through in his emails to me. I had to sort of read between the lines to see that war has effected/affected him in a way he does not want to say. I respect him for that, he will wind up going on with life fine because he has a good outlook about things. Here is the closing paragraph of his two paragraph email to me, in it you will see that good outlook shining through:

"There has been many good experiences that I will look back on over the next years ahead. I am sure as holidays or certain days come around think back to what I was doing on that day a year ago. Certain days of the week we had certain things that had to be accomplished. The support of many fine people like yourself has really helped make the time go quick. The many emails and just the hey hang in there will write more later emails that helped get your mind away from the frustration of being away from home, safety and security. The many people who would write to us to say, Thanks, really does go along way. The extra stuff they would send in the care boxes really was a huge Morale boost to many soldiers. The many different things we have received from supporters out there has been tremendous to know there are people who care. We, as soldiers, are here irregardless of there political views. We, as soldiers, are here because we decided to be a big dog and get off the porch and go run where others only talk about going and believe what they see on TV or hear on the radio. We all may not believe or agree with the leadership running this country, but we all do believe in giving others the freedoms Americans and illegal immigrants take for granted. Give the boy a chance to walk and eventually you will see a man run.

THANK YOU for all the support and friendship. Hope our "email pal" friendship will be able to continue."

As Bob S. has sent his thanks to me, I wanted to say thank you to him too. I will do that in an email to him because he, and others like him in our military, are the ones who deserve the thanks. I also wanted to thank all of you, those of you that is who show support for our military, and for their mission. Your helpful donation and well wishes that went into those holiday care packages I put together for Bob and his unit were a good thing, a kind thing, the right thing. You should all not only be proud of guys like Bob and all the other troops who defend our freedoms and those of others, you should be proud of yourselves for helping to give them the boost they needed to make their days go by a little bit easier.

If you are a person who has not supported the troops, well just read this sentence again, and think about if you are one of those about whom Bob writes who takes freedom for granted:

"We all may not believe or agree with the leadership running this country, but we all do believe in giving others the freedoms Americans and illegal immigrants take for granted. "

Are you a person who takes those freedoms for granted. I guess I am sometimes guilty of that myself, but there are just too many reminders out there each day to allow that to happen for too long, so most of the time I value my freedoms and liberties dearly. I also dearly value folks like Bob S because without the likes of him, we would have no freedoms, no rights, and no liberty to enjoy them. Many of you understand that, and you not only understand it but also practice what you believe and have supported our troops. To you, especially those who helped me out with those care packages that went to Bob and his unit, I say thank you very much, you are good Americans. To Bob, those in his unit, and to all of our troops in harm's way, I say: Thank you brothers and sisters, you are Great Americans. Stay safe, come home soon, you will not be forgotten.

All the best,
Glenn B

An Islam I'd Like To See More Of...

...yes I would indeed! I almost fell over as I read this piece not because of its impact mind you, but rather because it took me by surprise since there are so few articles like it out there. Yes, I see your point, there are lot's of articles out there about how Islam needs reform, about how this religion, the so called religion of peace, must start to condemn the terrorists instead of coddling them, that Islam is the enemy, that Islam equates with terrorism to many throughout the world, that groups like CAIR are in essence full of hypocrites - but they are few and far between when they are written by Muslims as was this one. What a refreshing oddity was it to have seen a Muslim condemning the Islamo Fascists 00and other hardliner Muslims who hide advancement of their evil intentions, and of terrorism, behind a curtain of claims of Islamophobia. As per the author, he has been writing like this for 20 years or so, too bad he is not an Op-Ed writer on the staff of every newspaper in the USA. Here is a brief sample of his wisdom:

"Islamophobia could end when masses of Muslims demonstrate in the streets against videos displaying innocent people being beheaded with the same vigor we employ against airlines, Israel and cartoons of Muhammad. It might cease when Muslims unambiguously and publicly insist that Shariah law should have no binding legal status in free, democratic societies. "

If more Muslims, millions more Muslims, came out bravely and openly as has Dr. Tawfik amid, the world would be a much better place in which to live. The truth is though that far too few Muslims condemn Islamo Facists, and other Islamic terrorists. Too few Muslims find barbaric acts of terrorism such as stooning, beheading, suicide bombin as heinous enough to speak out against them. No it is not that Muslims are too scared to do so, but rather that they embrace these aspects of islam. If you think not then just look back to the riots that took place in Europe after a few pictures of Mohamad were published. There were literraly hundreds of thousands of Muslims protesting violently over cartoon caricatrures, and many injuries and deaths of those who were not Muslims because of the rioting and unrest created by Muslims. In my opinion, Muslims look for any excuse to spread Islam through violent means, and I mean most Muslims. Those who are not looking to do so are quite happy to be complacent as there fellow Muslims do so.

That is why an article like the one to which I linked, appearing every now and then, from the likes of a seemingly moderate Muslim like Dr. Hanmid, does little to satisfy me. Nor does it do much to convince me, that I should not fear Islam. I am stocking up on supplies, in the event an Islamic caused crisis begins here in the USA as many have already been caused in places like England, France, Denmark, The Netherlands, Iraq, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Australia and other places to name just a handful. I'll be ready to take action to defend myself, my family and my country - and that action will not be to bow down on a prayer rug while facing east. If that is Islamophobic, well so be it; but remember this: If millions of other Muslims were like Mr. Hamid there would be no to little reason to fear Islam - and that is just not reality at the current time.

All the best,
Glenn B

I Surely Cannot Afford One...

...but I sure as heck want one. Its an H&K P2000SK. See: http://www.hk-usa.com/le_p2000sk_general.html for more eye candy. There has got to be some way that I can wrangle myself into picking up one of these, especially since I can purchase one direct from H&K through my employer at an incredible price (that for some reason eludes me right now, but I was told it is a great price.

It would be a great pistol, especially one in .40 S&W caliber, to carry after I retire; and I will probably retire at the end of this year. I may just have to get a second job snow shoveling (oh let it snow tonight baby), or start collecting bottles and cans for rebates, or begging (no not by way of this site, but maybe panhandling in the Bowery), or saving my lunch money, or hitting up the super seKrit stash I have in the credit union in California (which of course is already earmarked for the tax man, and what I have stashed out there is just less than half of what I owe in taxes). Woe is me right now, but you can bet I am going to try to think of something. I do have a reptile show coming up on March 2nd, and I have a few lizards and snakes to sell. I could potentially make a few hundred to five hundred bucks or so, and then invest that into one of these beauties. Then I still need to worry about the tax man and what I owe him. Who knows - maybe I can pay off my taxes on a timed interest free plan.

I want one, I want one, I want one, I want one, I want one. Where in Hades is Donald Trump when I am throwing a fit and could use a handout (or even a few days work)! Oh well, I just had to get that out of me. Nope, you guessed right, it is not out of me quite yet. So I will be scheming because there has got to be some way for me to be able to afford one of these in the direct sales H&K offers to me because of my job. Anybody wanna buy a bridge (yep in Brooklyn no less).

All the best,

Glenn B

Carrying Guns On Campus...

...is not advised in most colleges throughout the country, and that is mostly because it is illegal just about everywhere. Everywhere that is except for Utah from what I can tell. Yes folks, in Utah it evidently is legal to carry concealed weapons onto at least some college campuses, and apparently even to class. I think that is the way it should be, and I do not see it causing much of a problem. Sure there could always be a crime of passion, or some drunk student grabbing for the gun of another; but I doubt very much there will be a school shooting the likes of the VA Tech shooting, or Columbine on a college campus in Utah that allows concealed carry.

Why, well simply because most if not all of the school shooters, and the church shooters, and the mall shooters are wussies. They are not looking for a conflict, they are looking for victims, people they can harm, and harm with little fear of themselves getting hurt. They are not brave, they are not strong, they are cowards, and are usually weak physically, and surely weak mentally. So if the chances are they are going to get cut down by someone who is armed, and who is willing to defend himself, his loved ones, his friends, his teachers (? well- you never know, I have had some decent professors) and maybe even that stranger next to him, from harm (sound familiar) chances are the evil ones will avoid such places. Of course now that I have said that, some arsehat will probably try to hit a school in Utah, but I mean it in general - and if you have half a brain - you get my point.

So what kind of a person is it who would arm him or her self while at school, and yet not cause a problem. What would make a person want to be armed at school in the first place. Well first of all the person is someone who is good, law abiding, and who wants to protect himself or herself, and as I said maybe also protect his friends, teachers and even some strangers. He or she is not paranoid, but rather someone who wants to be prepared for any eventuality for which he/she can prepare within reason. Therefore he or she is a person who responsibly and legally obtains and carries a gun, and who responsibly gets some training in how to use it to protect him/herself and others. He or she is also a person who realizes that his/her own well being is his/her own responsibility in that there can be times when we cannot expect the police to be there like magical heroes (sound familiar). He or she is a person who thinks along these lines:

"Nick says his gun doesn't make him feel immune from attack. "But I feel that I will be able to protect myself, and I'm confident in my training and my ability," he said."" (see: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/20/cnnu.guns/index.html)

He or she is not a timid, piss pants, cry baby who thinks only mommy or daddy figures, the police nanny state, should be allowed to carry guns as is apparent in my opinion in this statement:

"His confidence is not shared by fellow student Griselda Espinoza, who recently transferred to the university. Some 28,000 students attend the school, as of the latest enrollment figures.

"I feel less safe knowing that a stranger sitting beside me in class may have a gun in his or her backpack," she said.

"The only people that should carry guns are trained officials." " (See: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/20/cnnu.guns/index.html)

The only people who should carry guns are trained officials - did you just read that - it makes me sick to think that the sheep among us think that way. They are too afraid to protect themselves, and thereby believe all people should be just like they are, apparently (at least as I see them) timid, afraid and cowardly, and dependent upn the state for the fantasy of a shield of protection from all evil.

I guess that woman did not read this. Had she read it, maybe she would be of a different mindset. I can tell you something else that will put her into a different frame of mind, something that rapidly will remove her from her commie/socialista fantasy land of delusions that only the state should be armed. Can you guess what that would be? Yes you guessed it, didn't you! The next time a psycho rifle wielding maniac comes onto a campus, her campus, shooting - and there are no armed federales or judiciales around, I would be that good old Griselda will be hiding behind a guy named Nick begging him to do something to end it all. You remember Nick don't you; he's the college kid carrying concealed firearms legally on campus> he is the guy that Griselda does not think should be allowed to carry. Sad thing is that Griselda did not read my blog here; and she has apparently been brainwashed to think only the officers of the state should be armed. I would also bet she believes that calling 911 just about will instantaneously transport a 'dial a hero', or three, to the very spot where she needs them at the exact moment she needs them. I believe that law enforcement is there to help (heck I am an LEO), but I don't believe in fucking magic FM folks, but my bet is that Griselda does! Too bad she does not beleive in what Nick beleives in - silver bullets!

All the best,
Glenn B

Were You Out Howling At The Moon Tonight...

...or maybe just enjoying a sight you will not see for another three years - the total eclipse of the moon. I got to watch in spurts and started watching when it was about 1/6 eclipsed. Then again when about 1/2 gone,, then when 3/4 gone, then when only a teensy-weensy spot was left, and again only 15 minutes ago when it was well on its way to once again basking inthe ray of Old Sol. I read on the news tonight, that this was the third total eclipse in the last year. Heck I remember one other, but not two others. All were supposedly visible from the USA, and if they truly are omens of evil, well maybe that accounts for: 1) the poor economy, 2) Obama and Hillary as choices on the left, and 3) no choice on the right. (Come on now, McCain is not on the right is he?)

Oh well, I wonder then what accounts for my recent money woes? I guess just piss poor planning on my part. I was never all that good with finances, so I suppose I cannot blame it on the lunar eclipses. LOL........

I just ran outside and took another look - just a small bite sized piece missing from that baby now. Almost all over for another 3 years. Hurry and get a look see. I am gong back outside to see it all reappear. Its magic like that that thrills me.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Firearms (and in this case possibly unarmed) Tactics and Training: 911 - A Reason To Be Armed...

...and a better reason is hard to find. Of all the reasons for allowing citizens to be armed, the one I am about to give you is one of the best I can think of - 911. No I don't mean 9/11 (September 11, 2001) I mean the standard fallback of those who reside in the USA when danger is near, that desperate cry for help of those who are about to be harmed, the call to 911. All too many police departments, mayors offices, and other government entities would tell you that if you are ever faced with a threat to life or limb you should immediately call 911 for help. Then truth is though that 911 is probably much less efficient at helping than would be the caller being a knowledgeable armed shooter. You see a 911 response often just takes way to long, and in a moment the caller all too often winds up injured or dead. I have little faith that my calling 911 would be of much help to me should I ever be involved in an imminent life or death situation, it just takes them too darned long to respond in most cases to avoid an immediate threat. That is not the fault of the 911 operators, not the fault of police in responding, it is just a fact of life and death. When the threat is immediate, it needs to be responded to immediately. Taking the time to call 911 can get you severely injured or even killed if you are not doing something to either stop the threat, or to get away from it.

Just look to the story of the not too long ago massacre of 5 women, and the injuring of another, in the Lane Bryant store at Tinley Park, Illinois. Look to a woman, the manger of the store, one Rhoda McFarland. She did what probably had been hammered into her brain cells for years. Maybe she did or did not resist the robber by putting up a fight. Maybe she did or did not get up and try to run away.What we know she did was this: she went to her phone and she called 911 - all while her store apparently was being robbed at gun point. She probably thought she had done the right thing. Maybe she did, maybe not. My bet is she did what she had learned she was "supposed" to do. I can tell you something of which I am pretty darned sure, it took all of her courage, and courage she had, to stay where she was and make the call. You can hear the fear in her voice if you listen to the recording. Yet, she faced her fear and tried to save herself and others by doing what we pretty much are all told to do - she called 911. Her 911 call was for naught as far as saving her own life, and the lives of the other 4 women. Soon after the call she was bound, then executed along with 4 others, and another woman was badly wounded. The killer had enough time to gather his victims together, bind them, then execute them - apparently all after this 911 call was made. He also had enough time to do something else, to escape.

Rhoda McFarland was brave indeed. She took the time to try to do what she probably always been told was the right thing to do; so just imagine what she could have done if handguns in the hands of citizens were legal in the Tinley Park area a suburb of Chicago where the anti-gun laws are some of the most restrictive in the nation. Allow me to digress from Ms. McFarland just for a moment and to point out something you may have gotten or maybe just missed - the gun laws there prevent good, hard working, honest citizens from arming themselves, but had little of no effect on the killer! Okay, now back to that brave lady who made the 911 call. Imagine if you will another Tinley Park, another outlook about allowing citizens to arm themselves with handguns for self protection from dirtbags, robbers, rapists, murderers, violent gang members, terrorists, tyrants and the like. Imagine that Rhoda McFarland had been armed with three things that day: her mindset, a concealed semi automatic pistol, and her cell phone. Imagine that everything happened just as it unfolded in reality up to a point - to the point of her uttering her plea of an almost muted, and certainly desperate, single word: "hurry". Imagine that when the 911 operator then told her not to hang up, just after she had muttered that plea for someone to hurry to save the day, Ms. McFarland had done something else instead of saying "I won't hang up" (possibly her last words to anyone other than her killer). Imagine that at that point, instead of becoming a victim of a killer, she had drawn her pistol into her shooting hand (if not already there), and that she had taken careful aim at her assailant, and then fired several shots until he stopped being a threat. This is what could have happened, and I think what should have happened, but did not happen because of the rabidly anti-gun, anti-self defense, crowd in Illinois.

Of course if some ardent anti-gun rights people read this, they will likely point out that if they had their way and there were no guns, this would not have happened. Maybe, and maybe not, but first let me say there will never be zero guns. Criminals always will have access to guns, they are just too easy to make, and if you doubt that just look to a place like Pakistan that supplied millions of home-shop made weapons to the Afghans during the occupation of Afghanistan by the then Soviet Union. Criminals today have guns in places like Australia and England - two of the most restrictive nations of the face of the earth when it comes to gun ownership. They are outright banned in England, yet gun crime keeps rising. So too do all other forms of violent crimes such as stabbings, clubbings, beatings, rapes, strong armed robberies and the like. Why is that? It is because the people have been disarmed and are now ready for the slaughter.

If on the other hand, regular law abiding citizens were regularly allowed to be armed, then dirtbags like the killer of these five woman (all daughters, some wives, some sisters, some mothers, some aunts) may not have killed anyone, and he may not have escaped. If Ms. McFarland had had a gun, my guess is that she would have been brave enough to have used it in the situation in which she found herself - no mater how strong was any possible aversion she may have had to hurting or killing another human being - to protect herself and the 5 other women (4 killed and one gravely wounded). Heck, she had the courage to stare death in the face and make that call.

Does having an armed citizenry work as a deterrent or counter to violent crime. Sure it does. Look too, not too far back, to the church killings in Colorado when the security officer shot a man who outgunned her with far superior firepower. I have not heard of another church shooting, yet school shootings wherein no oner is armed continue. Look to any of the accounts of individual bravery when armed citizens defended themselves as reported on in the Civilian Gun Self-Defense Blog. (If you click on this link you may, as I do, get an seemingly almost blank page. If so just scroll down until you see the main part of the blog.) What you will not see on that page is story after story of armed bad guys taking away firearms or other weapons from armed good guys. Yet, over the years the police and anti-gun deviants have told us all that this is exactly what would happen if an armed regular citizen tried to protect him or her self with a gun. The truth be told, yes it happens, but rarely. The thing that happens much more often is that the armed citizen, the regular Joe or Jane, the good guys, wind up stopping the threat and protecting: themselves, their loved ones, their neighbors, even people they have never met, from harm that a bad guy was about to do.

Calling 911 is, in my opinion, just not as effective as defending yourself when the threat is upon you. Now I am not saying not to call 911. Let's get back to Ms. McFarland. She called 911, but she then evidently had little or nothing left to do except to become a victim. Why did she have nothing left? Well, quite possibly due to her mindset as taught to her by anti-self defense types, by anti-gun people, by weak minded politicians, and by police state nannies. You see, in actuality had she been of another mindset, and even then still not armed with a firearm, it would have been possible or even likely that she would have fought for her life with all her might and with anything at hand that she could have used as a weapon. Maybe she did, I don't know, but I sought of doubt it if only because had she been of the mindset to fight to live, chances are those other 5 women would have rallied behind her and they would be alive right now. What I am saying, and I mean no disrespect to Ms. McFarland, I think she was brave just to have made the call, is that we have been taught to allow ourselves to be led to the slaughter if the police are not here to help us. The thing is that they will not be there to help you, they will not make it in time, not even when you call 911 right away, if the threat is immediate and suddenly becomes more than just a threat by becoming a violent action directed at you by the bad guy.

So what should you do. Police, anti-gun lobbies, mayors, senators, congress people, church leaders, civic leaders, teachers, and others on the left say it is too risky to fight back because chances are you will get hurt. Truth be told, I think that if you do not fight back, if you comply to the wishes of the bad guy, if you surrender, well then you are at mercy of the bad guy - the guy who is pointing the knife, or gun at your face, the guy who is threatening you, the guy who is about to kidnap you, tie you up, sodomize you, rape you, rob you, beat you, cut you, shoot you, kill you. Think about it, and you tell me what is more of a risk - surrendering to a bad guy and taking your chances that he or she will be merciful, or fighting back like it means your life, or the life of someone else? Me, I cannot say what I will do for any future situation, but I can tell you what I have done and still do. I ready myself for such a situation by training myself to fight back if possible by whatever means I have at hand. I have fought back more than a few times in my life, and each time I have done so I have saved myself from either serious bodily harm, more serious bodily harm if already injured, or from possible death at the hands of my attacker(s). Luckily for me I can be armed at virtually any time, but I remember at least once when I was unarmed and fought back using myself as the best weapon I had at the time. I cannot tell you with certainty that fighting back will work for you, you may get hurt or even killed, likewise for family members. I can tell you with absolute certainty though that when I have fought back (and I am no body builder, no martial arts guy, not even very strong or agile) it worked for me because here I am telling you all of this.

If you cannot be armed, and think maybe it would be a good idea to be armed - well all I can say is that you had best start complaining to elected officials, and appointed officials, of all types regarding your right to keep and bear arms, and your right to self defense. Then make sure to vote in all elections, and vote to strengthen those rights, and to make sure you have the liberty to exercise them. Besides that, go to a self defense class. You do not have to be a 5th degree black belt in Karate and Brazilian Jujitsu to defeat an attacker, even an armed one.; but you should know something about how to defend yourself in the best manner possible if you are ever attacked. After taking self defense classes, train often in the techniques. This way you will remember what to do, have it come easily to you when stressed (more easily than if not trained) and you will more likely keep the right mindset. Take a refresher course now and then too.

If you do get a gun, or another weapon, get classes in how to use it to defend yourself. For example, go to shooter's self defense classes; don't just think 'hey now I have a gun or other weapon, and I am invincible' because that frame of mind likely will get you hurt or killed. As the Boy Scouts of America used to say, and maybe still do: "Be prepared". Get yourself to a level of competence, and confidence, then you will have other options than just dialing a hero by calling 911. You see, all to often the hero is busy saving someone else thus leaving you to either depend upon yourself, or to depend upon the mercy - if any - of your attacker. So learn how and when to run, learn how and when to fight, learn what you can use for a weapon and how to use it if you cannot carry a gun or other conventional weapon, learn how to hide or take cover, learn how to stop the threat or at least how to get away from it; then when something happens call 911 if you can do so safely. If you are not safe, if the threat is immediate, if there is no time for calling 911, and if you have learned your self defense lessons well, then maybe, just maybe, you can do what it takes to save your life and the lives of others. What others, well those like your spouse or kids, and maybe even the life of that stranger next to you - then call 911. As for that starnger, the one who you just saved at some risk to yourself; remember that someday one of them, a total stranger, may do the same for you or your loved one. One thing you should not do, do not call 911 and then expect a miracle to save you! Sometimes it is just more of a risk to not try to save yourself, sometimes you just have to be your own hero because help will just not get there in time.

One last thought, I don't want anyone to think I am faulting these 6 ladies for themselves being shot by the bad guy. They reacted to a bad situation probably in the best and only way they knew how, a way that has been hamered into people for many years in this country and others, one that says it is best to submit to and comply with the aggressor. The fault here lies mostly with the bad guy, but also with those in our society who demand that we should wait for a miracle save in the form of calling magical dial a hero 911 without defending ourselves. The truth be told, waiting for someone else to save us just fails all too often. I wish that Ms. McFarland and those other 5 women had thought of it that way - I wish they would have seen their options and chosen furious self defense. Really, I do wish that; but apparently they did what they were trained to do by a society that has given up on taking the risk associated with armed or even unarmed self defense in favor of taking the risk of depending upon the mercy of evil doers. That my friends is a shame because their loved ones have lost them forever; and maybe, just maybe, it could have all turned out much differently had we as a society given them a chance. How I wish the last words we heard in that 911 call had been:

"I am in Lane Bryant in Tinley Park, hurry." (Shots ringing out over the phone.) "I got him, he's down. Hurry. I won't hang up"; and then... and then the voices of police officers talking to Ms. McFarland, and her responding to them in a shaky but yet strong voice, when they finally arrived on the scene. All this as heard over the phone at 911 because, as she had said, she would not hang up.

My thoughts and sympathies go out to those 5 ladies, and their families and loved ones. To that one lady, the one who survived, I wish her a speedy recovery in body and mind.

All the best
Glenn B

The Reading/Book Meme

Okay, so I was not tagged with this, but as Ragin' Dave over at Four Right Wing Wackos did, I think I'll give it a shot. Unlike Ragin Dave though, I don't care all that much whether anyone else or not has completed the meme, or that everyome seems to be doing it. I am doing it simply because it interests me, and I would be interested to see yours even more so than I was to complete my own. By the way, have no fear, I am not 'tagging' anyone. Here goes:

1) Which [type of] book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?

Gay Romance novels, otherwise political books with a leftist agenda.

2) If you could bring three [fictional] characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be?

C. Auguste Dupin, Bilbo Baggins (The Hobbit), Howard (the old man in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre). The event would be five years' duration trek through wilderness and urban centers on earth and on other planets. The trek would include self sufficiency of this group, inter-galactic travel, time travel, prospecting, fortune making, hunting, drinking, fighting, story telling, mystery solving, and whoring (whenever we encounter the need or desire). Of course in this fantasy - I would be well armed, well to do, in excellent health, and at least as good looking as I am now; I would also be single!

3) You are told you can’t die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for awhile, eventually you realize it’s past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?

While I cannot attest to whether or not it is boring, I figure anything written by a Russian would bore me to tears, so I pick: War and Peace. Even if not boring, it may as well be a long one. If it proved interesting, I would fall back on the Bible.

4) Come on, we’ve all been there. Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you’ve read, when in fact you’ve been nowhere near it?

I don’t think I have ever done that except for in grammar school, and then I read the Cliff Notes. I am pretty sure Moby Dick was one of them.

5) As an addition to the last question, has there been a book that you really thought you had read, only to realize when you read a review about it/go to ‘reread’ it that you haven’t? Which book?

No.

6) You’ve been appointed Book Adviser to a VIP (who’s not a big reader). What’s the first book you’d recommend and why? (if you feel like you’d have to know the person, go ahead of personalize the VIP).

The Razor’s Edge because it gives a lot of insight into the lives of the pompous arsehats who believe they are VIPs, and a lot of insight into how to live life otherwise.

7) A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with?

Old French because it was the language of Nostradamus; and I want to either put his predictions to sleep or prove them once and for all. I could make a million correctly interpreting his works.

8) A mischievous fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick?

The Hobbit, not because of the fantasy, or the magic that seemingly makes good win over evil; but because the book constantly shows that adventure is hard work, and good is only accomplished by someone who strives to attain it, but attaining it is well worth the effort.

9) I know that the book blogging community, and its various challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What’s one bookish thing you ‘discovered’ from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art-anything)?

I don’t even have a clue as to what is ‘book blogging’. If that means what have I learned about books from those who blog about them, not too much.

10) That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she’s granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leather bound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favorite authors have inscribed their works?

Many books are hardbound, many in leather, all first editions if possible, some are as ancient as they get in the form of scrolls. All are in pristine condition and kept that way as much as possible, while also being well read. The library is vast, comfortable, adorned with wood trim all around, wood bookshelves, has a Victorian splendor about it, has a well stocked bar or three, a wine celalr, comfortable seating, many reading rooms, is multi-leveled, has a huge selection of reading materials, and by some quirk of magic (yes the fairy is a good one) contains all of the works that were ever kept within the ancient library at Alexandria. In addition there are cloaked vixens to attend to my every need and fetch any volume I desire, and to read to me translations of books in any language other than English and Old French (yes these are intelligent as well as hot vixens). By the way, this library would be restricted to a membership of whom I approve, and would be well guarded. Also – no smoking allowed in the library but smoking rooms would be provided in out buildings, as would be a fine selection of excellent cigars to go with the good spirits from those bars and the wine cellars.

All the best,
Glenn B

Industrious Insomnia...

...must surely be better than sleepless sloth. So tonight, or should I say this morning, when I found myself unable to sleep, I figured I could put my time to good use and I cleaned my Berettas, all four of them. There is something about the aroma of Hoppe's No. 9 gun cleaning solvent, in the wee hours of the morn that leads to a certain satisfaction. I guess that satisfaction lies in a job well done, and Hoppe's surely gets the job done well enough for me to think of these words of wisdon taught to me by a fellow federal agent/firearms instructor Pete G.: A Clean Gun is a Happy Gun. If that is true, then I can say without a doubt: My Berettas are quite happy.

Starting at 12 o’clock and working clockwise is my 9mm Beretta 92SB, yes the gun that made me Ballseye! The next is my model 70S in .22LR. Both of these fine pieces of the gunmakers skill were crafted in Italy. The next is a model 92FS in 9mm, and the last another 92FS, These two basically a brace of pistols in as much as they have consecutive serial numbers. Go figure on how I ever convinced she who must be obeyed to allow me to buy two of them at once, but somehow I weasled my way into getting her to believe conveyed to her the importance of having one for work some years ago, and one for retirement in (back then) some years to come. One is in almost pristine condition having only a few hundred rounds at most fired through it. The other is in excellent but used condition. The Beretta 70S is also in excellent condition. As for the Beretta 92SB, well it has seen better days. While it is mechanically excellent, the finish leaves quite a bit to be desired, but is still in NRA very good to fine condition. Of course now that they are clean, I'll have to follow the words of wisdom of someone else who taught me a lot about shooting. He said every time you shoot your guns you should clean them, and then test fire them to make sure you put em back together right. I guess that means I'll soon be off to the range to test fire them, maybe a couple of hundred rounds each (except for the 92FS that I am saving for retirement). Yes, that means I'll have to clean em again, and of course that means I'll have to test fire em again. Its a vicious circle it is, but as long as the ammo and Hoppe's No. 9 hold out, it will be a blast. As for the Berettas holding up, well Beretta makes some fine firearms and these have not failed me yet after many years of good service, excellent firearms indeed!

All the best,

Glenn B

Today In History - The Man Who Said The Following Passed Away, Who Was He?

"Since my life as a prisoner has begun I have heard the teachings of the white man's religion, and in many respects believe it to be better than the religion of my fathers...Believing that in a wise way it is good to go to church, and that associating with Christians would improve my character, I have adopted the Christian religion. I believe that the church has helped me much during the short time I have been a member. I am not ashamed to be a Christian, and I am glad to know that the President of the United States is a Christian, for without the help of the Almighty I do not think he could rightly judge in ruling so many people. I have advised all of my people who are not Christians, to study that religion, because it seems to me the best religion in enabling one to live right." (from: Wikipedia)

Now I am not much of a Christian though I was baptized in the Catholic religion many years ago. Since my youth, the Church and I have had a parting of company, but not necessarily of our ways. While I believe many aspects of Christianity (or of most religions) to be little more than fantasy, I beleive that many morals taught by Christians to be of extreme value in living life to its fullest, and in that regard I have not and never will fully part from the Church. It is interesting how the person whose quote appears above turned to Christianity especially in light of the fact that he was about as far removed from Christian beliefs as could have been possible at the time. Then again I guess that all religions, or I should say almost all, teach a similar morality, and goodness of character to some extent.

Well anyway, morality is not the issue here, today in history is what I am writing about, and today - February 17 in 1909 - the man who said those words died in a very different situation from how one may have expected him to die. He passed on most certainly in a manner that did not give a hint as to how he had led a great part of his life. He died weak and old from disease, but had in his earlier lifetime been one of the most feared warriors in the world.

I wonder, without looking up that quote, do you know who said it? It is obvious from the quote that he was not a white, he was a leader of some sorts, that he had to do with American History; and from what I said you know he was a warrior too. Who was he? No cheating take your best shot at a guess, or give a definitive answer right out if you know. I'll chime in with the right answer tomorrow or the next day.

All the best,
Glenn B

Herps To The Rescue

The plan is that tomorrow when I go to the Long Island Herpeto- logical Society's monthly meeting, I'll bring along three Spotted Pythons, and five Bearded Dragons, all of which will be for sale. I can only hope the Spotted Pythons are more cooperative when I am showing them for sale than this one was when I tried to get all of the one pictured here into the photo. The Spotted Pythons were meant to be a breeding project. I had four, but one met an early demise due to an accident. The other three, I think 2 females and a male would have probably produced some future income for me in the form of baby snakes (yes we herpers breed em, sell em or trade em, and others buy em). As it is I am strapped for cash and need it now just the commercial says, so I guess these snakes will be for sale tomorrow. They will not put as much in to my pocket as they would have had they produced babies, but at $125 a pop for these 2 year old pythons, if I sell them, I'll be happy.

I also have 5 young Bearded Dragons, they will have an asking price of from $50 to $75 each. So if I sell everything I have up for sale tomorrow (which is highly unlikely) I'll have at least $575, maybe more. The truth be told, I'll be lucky to sell even one of them at this time of the year (unless of course someone at the meeting tomorrow will have gotten back a nice tax refund). I have not sold anything in a very long time, gave up selling them a while back, but I need the cash or the tax man will be miffed. The saddest thing of all is if I do sell them, the tax man gets it all, and he still won't be happy.

All the best,

Glenn B

The Employee Personal Page...

...is part of the national Finance Center's web site; and it allows me to access such things as my pay statement, tax withholding forms, Thrift Savings Plan, financial allotments, my life insurance (obtained through my employer), and so on. It is a good thing because I get to see and adjust many of the financial deductions taken from my pay online. It is not such a good thin though when a knucklehead like me makes the wrong adjustments to some of those deductions, and then winds up short until next pay check. I just did that, and I wound up hitting myself for an additional $279.00 this paycheck (actually direct deposit). That stinks big-time, especially since a lot of extra bills are due We just shelled out about $750 for some needed and long overdue electrical work for our house, need to have a tree cut down for 2 grand (I need to get more estimates, that seem outrageous to me), paid about a grand for new bedroom furniture for my son (or maybe are still paying, I'll have to ask the other half), and got hit with a 2 grand Visa bill; and I have not yet seen American Distress Express. Add to that a tax bill of over $3,000.00 and my head is spinning as I am sinking into debt for the first time in a long time.

Oh well, I just went back into the NFC’s Employee Personal Page, and I again adjusted my tax withholding, y thrift savings, and a bank deposit, so next paycheck I'll only be down about $80 from the last one I received two weeks ago. That will be much more livable than being down almost $280 each pay period. As it turns out, I'll pay about $3,500 more in taxes this year from withholding than I did last year, and hopefully at the end of this year I will not owe a dime. Scraping together the $3,000 plus I owe right now is going to be a pain in the pocketbook. I don't need a repeat next year. Oh well, maybe I'll hit the lotto.

All the best,
Glenn B

Hello Up There In The Cold North Country!

I don't know who you are, or how many you are - but I have an idea of where you are. I am pretty darned certain that you are the person(s) furthest north on the plantet who read(s) my blog. So I just wanted to say hello, welcome and thanks to whoever is (are) the visitor(s) up there in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada who keep(s) coming back to read my blog. I am humbled by your recurrent visits, and by the fact that you must like something about this site. Thanks a million.

All the best,
Glenn B

Just How Many Jews Are There In The World?

If we could figure that out, and locate all of them, then we could round em all up and annihilate them. Wouldn't that be an answer to all of our other problems? Sure it most certainly would have to be would it not? I mean, just look at this: Hezbollah Threat Echoes in Argentina. It is obvious that Jews wherever they are are problem makers and are hated by Islamo Fascists, heck they are probably hated by all Fascists, and all tyrants - just remember Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, the KKK, Louis Farrakhan and others, and look today to guys like Chavez. Don’t you get it, if all of those folks hate the Jews, well there just has got to be a reason for it; and since they hate the Jews, they must also hate those who support the Jews and the Jewish state of Israel. So world leaders like George W. Bush, John Howard, Gordon Brown, and decent ordinary English, Australian, and American citizens (and those of all other nationalities who support the Jews), and moral non-religious people, and Christians, and Hindus, and Buddhists (all faiths who tolerate the jews) and all others who support Jews must all be treated the same as are the Jews - right? They should be hated just like the Jews are hated, after all - isn't it they who support the Jews and help keep them alive and thriving in this world of ours? So how should we deal with the problem? Let's join the islamo Fascists and kill em all! I mean, if we cannot beat em (and obviously many of our leaders like Hillary Clinton, Barrack Obama, Harry Reid; and their supporters like George Soros believe we cannot beat the Islamo Fascists) we may as well join em - right? Sure, why not all just go out and kill some Jews until we wipe em all out - except maybe of course for those turncoat Jews who support a form of government akin to Fascism, Islamo Fascism, Communism, Socialism or just plain old tyranny. In other words let’s spare only those Jews who have abandoned their own kind and who support government takeover of our rights. You know the type, like some of those jerk offs enlightened souls in Hollywood. Yeah, that would solve the problem, wouldn't it. Then we can wipe out some other people too.

Of course that would not solve anything! Once we acquiesce to the enemies of the Jews, we become their enemies ourselves, and we become our own worst enemies. Helping to kill off the Jews, or just ignoring the fact that the Islamo Fascists are trying to do so, leaves us just as evil as Islamo Fascists, maybe even worse for at least we once had the morality to stand with the world’s Jewish Community. We must not abandon them, as they have not abandoned us; but instead we must fight beside them until our common enemy has been resoundingly defeated. As the Jews would be without us, so too would we be without them, all the more weak kneed and pansy assed, and ready to be killed off by our enemies. We must not forget this regarding the Jews of the world, nor of the Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and so on. Every other major faith on the face of this planet believes in the sanctity of human life. There is only one group of so called religious people who offer up their children as martyrs in a cause to wipe other people, of other religious belief systems, off of the face of the earth – the Islamo Fascists. I have to also wonder about the rest of Islam as they hide in the shadows and do not call for the destruction of the Islamo Fascists; this seems rather as if they choose to go along with the fascists by ignoring their terrible deeds.

Heck, I am an agnostic for sure, maybe even an atheist (not sure of that quite yet) but I do see the need to stand by those of faith and morality (yes you can be moral and not religious) in this world, that is of any other major faith or moral group than that of Islam (until those so called moderate islamist actually stand up and fight the islamo fascists). Why? Well, simply because the Islamo Fascists are not going to stop with the Jewish State of Israel, they are not going to stop with the Jews in Arabic lands, they will not stop with the Jews in the third world, and they will not stop even if they have killed off all of the Jews on the face of the earth - and apparently the rest of Islam will do little or nothing to stop them. So, after they rid the world of the Jews, it will be Buddhists, or Hindus, or Christians or moral atheists and agnostics next to be totally eliminated, and then finally the other islamist with whom they do not agree. The truth is the enemy of the Jew is the enemy of us all, and as some really smart guy once said: The enemy of my enemy is my friend!. So, in that light, I support Israel, and the worldwide Jewish community, and I support those of major faiths other than Islam, and those of non-religious moral groups who respect others and who vehemently oppose Islamo Fascism, and tyrants like Chavez, Castro, bin Laden.

Hmm, now I feel better, and guess what - no more writer's block!

L'chaim,
Glenn B

Writer's Block

What can I say, I have not had any inspiration to write about anything as of the last few days. I am sick of politics for now, have no desire to think about guns or to enjoy shooting, have not developed aninterest in ahything new lately, and have not done anything worth a word in days. I'll get over it sooner or later, I am sure.

Until then - later for you.

All the best,
GB

The Flu Cometh....

...and it has knocked my wife for a loop. She has been in bed for three days now, sleeping most of each day away, or at least resting most of the day. My wife is of the sort who usually shrugs off a cold, or other ailments, and just keeps going. Not this time though. She is tired, achy all over, has a runny nose, is coughing some, has a sore and hoarse throat, and I think was feverish. Of course this could be a mega-cold, but I figure its the flu the way it has knocked her out of commission.

Oh well, I am left with doing the laundry and shopping this weekend, no big deal. I have to head out to Home Depot, so I may as well also stop by Costco or BJ's to pick up some groceries. It is always a bit of a battle in either of those two mega-grocery stores just getting around the aisles on a weekend, and then more of one trying to get through the checkout lines. So I guess what I am saying is that I had best get my butt in gear and go to the stores. Then when I get back, maybe I'll make her some tea and or some soup to perk her up a bit. Not that she does that for me when I am sick, but what the heck, after all she is still my darling.

Later for you,
Glenn B

The Invisible Mayor - Mayor Carty Finkbeiner, Toledeo Ohio

Yes folks you would not think that a whole city could disappear almost overnight, but at least to me, it seems that the City of Toledo, Ohio has done just that, well at least the mayor's office anyhow. This morning read a blog over at Wizbang. That story is about the Mayor of Toledo telling the U.S. Marines that they were not welcome in Toledo, Ohio to conduct urban warfare training in said city, and telling them to get out of the city. An amazing display of what I think amounts to subversion at the least, and even possibly to sedition or treason.

After reading that, I went to a few news sites and got some more facts on what had happened. I am not casting aspersions at Wizbang, they have a fine site, but sometimes bloggers do tend to exaggerate. So I went to: The Toledo Blade, to FoxNews.com , to CNN (where I did not see anything about this), to the BBC (where I also found zilch), to The Drudge Report where I found this link: http://www.nbc24.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=94192. Okay, there were at least three news stories supporting Wizbang.

Then I figured I would go to the mayors web page and read up on his side of the story. I clicked on this link at Wizbang: http://www.ci.toledo.oh.us/MayorsOffice/tabid/184/Default.aspx. I wanted to see his side of the story, and then maybe send him an email too. The thing is that said link did not work. When I put it into my browser and hit enter, I got a page with a bunch of mumbo jumbo computerese on it, here was the first line: "Description: An application error occurred on the server. The current custom error settings for this application prevent the details of the application error from being viewed remotely (for security reasons). It could, however, be viewed by browsers running on the local server machine.". Click the link, you may see the same (of course that may change if the link was temporarily overloaded or BLOCKED by the city of Toledo because of them not wanting to have anyone lambaste them). I tried again, this time using Google to search out the link for the mayor's office. I got a somewhat different link: http://www.ci.toledo.oh.us/ but this one had the same results as above.

I then clicked on the email link, also provided on the Wizbang page: it did not work either, but I think that was a fault of how it was loaded. I did send an email to the Mayor of Toledo at: mayor.toledo@toledo.oh.gov. My email was pretty tough on him, in essence telling him I believe him to be a disgrace for what he did to those Marines.

Wondering if the City of Toledo Police department had anything on their web site about this I figured I would search out and go to their site. I found this link: http://www.toledopolice.com/. I visited the link and found nothing on this brouhaha with the Marine Corp. I don’t think they are hiding or trying to be invisible though, they were the ones who apparently okayed the Marine Training in Toledo:

"Toledo police said they knew about the training and had approved the unit’s use of the Madison Building and the Promenade Park area." (NBC24.com)

Has the City of Toledo gone invisible. At least it seems that way for the Mayor's office! Well invisible on the Internet, at least to me. As for him remaining invisible, hiding his head up his own asshole in the sand is not going to accomplish anything. As I wrote in my email to him, he owes the united States Marine Corps an apology, and $10,000.00. That is how much it reportedly cost the Marines to travel to Toledo to set up the training, and yes they reportedly spent that much already - all wasted because of one man's poor decision

If you are wondering why Mayor Carty Finkbeiner made the decision to keep out the Marines, here is what his spokesman reportedly had to say about it:

"The mayor asked them to leave because they frighten people," Brian Schwartz, the mayor's spokesman, told the newspaper. "He did not want them practicing and drilling in a highly visible area." (from FoxNews.com ).

Can you imagine that, the mayor thought they may frighten people. Yet the Toledo Police Department had already done what they had done in the past to prepare for the Marines training in Toledo. Yes the Marines had been there for this training several times before, only this mayor of Toledo has a problem with them. The Police had contacted the media who alerted the public, the Marines would be in Toledo again. Reportedly the public, at the last such training in 2006, appreciated and enjoyed watching the event, but the mayor saw it differently:

"I saw the military with guns drawn emulating warfare, and I observed the expressions of citizens who happened to just be coming down the sidewalk that particular Saturday noon in wonderment, asking, 'What have I found myself in the middle of?... "There was a look of wonderment on some people's faces, and there was a look of fear on other people's faces."
Others did not agree with the mayor's assessment:

"While glancing about a downtown nearly empty of people yesterday afternoon, Douglas Finch, Sr., 55, of West Toledo, said he found the mayor's concerns unbelievable. Mr. Finch recalled witnessing the camouflaged and rifle-bearing Marines in downtown two years ago. He said the sight was attention-grabbing, not scary." (Toledo Blade).

I have to wonder, would it not frighten people more to see terrorists running amok in their streets, and no Marines there to put them down. Is there something wrong with how the mayor sees all of this, or does the mayor just want the publicity ala the mayor of Berkeley, CA who recently told the U.S. Marine recruiters in Berkeley that they were not welcome in said city. Or was it the mayor was pissed off because the Police department had not notified him of this training. Nah, the mayor had already previously said he did not want the marines in Toledo - as I see him in my personal opinion - he is just an asshole anti-American dirtbag, who is fulfilling his agenda to become and ultra leftist idol.

Folks, I look at it this way now - it is too late for an apology. I think the good people of the USA should boycott Toledo if possible. I think the good people of Toledo, OH should demand that the mayor step down. I think that the U.S. Government should withhold all federal funding from Toledo until said mayor has disappeared off of the political scene in Toledo. I think that the government should be investigating whether or not this was sedition or treason. I think that should one American Marine lose his or her life because they had that training denied to them, this guy should be, in my opinion, tried for treason, and if convicted he should be hanged (if legal) or otherwise put in jail for as long as possible!

Now it is time for all of you to do your thing. Write to your elected officials and make as big a stink over this as possible. Write to the mayor himself, and demand that he step down from public office. Boycott Toledo, at least until the people of Toledo wake up and kick this guy out into the cold. Heck, it could have been their own sons and daughters, or your sons and daughters, to whom he was denying the ability to make themselves better and safer marines. That my friends is an intolerable disgrace. What could be worse: If he now says he supports the troops, and my bet is that is exactly what he will say!

All the best,
Glenn B

England no longer is...

...England or ruled by English law. The British as seen here aparentlyalready have lost he war, the Muslims have taken over by at least in some ways ignoring the British legal system and implementing sharia law in defiance of English law. The truly sad thing is that the Brits are letting them do this. The law of the land is for each and every person in the land. There should be no, absolutely no special provision made for someone becaus eof their religion or lack of religion. Hang em high should apply to all if justified, religion should have nothing to do with it, only the law of the land should decide the fate of the criminal. Too bad, I had hoped to visit England in the future. As it is I will not now for fear of becoming subject to sharia law.

All the best,
Glenn B
Citizen of a country ruled by Constitutional Law!