Monday, January 30, 2012

Freedom

My sister and her husband were visiting his nephew at the VA Hospital in Tampa. He is being treated for a heart attack. A lot of wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan are being treated there. My sister sent me a photo of the sign at the front of the hospital.


Friday, January 27, 2012

More Debate

The Republican Presidential candidates forum last night on CNN was the most entertaining political event that I have seen in years.

It was a little like watching a prize fight. Romney was trying to throw the knockout punch, Gingrich was ducking and swerving. They both connected on a few punches, but a couple of jabs were dangerously close to below the belt. The moderator gave the two heavyweights regular breaks by giving Santorum and Paul a chance to speak.

Santorum was animated last night, almost life-like. I almost considered taking back what I wrote about him the other day. Nah!! Okay, so he did take a couple of good shots at both Newt and Mitt! What he we come to in this country? Our choices for president go by Newt and Mitt. Are you serious? What happened to Harry, Bill or Jimmy?

Newt missed the chance of a lifetime to score with some self-deprecating humor. He could have brought down the house with just two words. I still think that it's a stupid question, but when Wolf Blitzer asked, "Why would your wife make the best First Lady?", Newt should have said, "Which wife?"

From my point of view and it's the only one that counts on this blog, the winner was clearly Ron Paul. He stayed on course with his message all evening. The other candidates often agreed with him on points that he made.

Paul clearly won in the wit department. When Blitzer asked him if Newt and Mitt should return any money that they made on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac investments, Paul said, "That subject just doesn't really interest me," He then went on to make a point about smaller government. When asked about his health, Paul challenged the other candidates to go on a 25 mile bike ride with him in the Texas heat. Gingrich couldn't do a 25 mile bike ride down hill with someone else pedaling, Romney would hire it out and Santorum would make his wife do it. So Paul is not going to get any takers on that.

My favorite moment was when Blitzer asked Paul, "Imagine that you are in the Oval Office. Raul Castro calls. What do you say to him?" Paul responded, "I'm going to ask him what he called about." Paul also said that we need to quit worrying about the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan and use some of those assets to secure our border with Mexico.

Overall, the debate was good. Mitt showed why he is the candidate of the Republican establishment and Newt showed why he isn't. Santorum showed us that after he gets old enough to shave we can give him a shot at the job. Paul showed us that if you want real change, you will have to vote outside of the box. You can't get different results by electing people from the same group year after year. I'm going to Yanceyville on Monday to change to an "independent." Wait!! On second thought, I will wait until I vote for Paul in the primary election.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Debate???

I am hacking out this swill as I watch the Republican Presidential debate from Tampa. It's kind of like professional wrestling for political junkies.

Here's a few observations from this ringside spectator.

Rick Santorum - This guy is so lacking in passion that I cannot believe that he and his wife have seven children. Maybe they were adopted!! Santorum looks barely old enough to vote, much less run for President. Come back when you're older, kid. In an unrelated matter, Santorum's best finish in South Carolina was in York County (My family's home.) He got 25% of the vote there. With relatives still living there, I will decline to comment on the vote results.

Mitt Romney- Romney's claim to fame is that the nomination should be his because it's his turn. As close as I can tell, he forgot to tell Newt.  Romney looks like he should be married to Barbie or whoever that is posing as Newt's wife. Mitt seems to have trouble interacting with humans. This comment  from a guy with a tattoo that reads "Does Not Play Well with Others."

Newt Gingrich-  I have already bashed his wife so what's left? I won't bother mention his weight and poor fitting clothing. Maybe my fashion consultant could help with his appearance. I will forward her name and number to the current Mrs. Gingrich, whoever that may be. Newt has improved his performance of late. Obviously he's a money player. He has that "fire in the belly" that it will take to win.

Ron Paul-  So this is what I'll be like when I get older. His "electability" is only slightly higher than my own. I loved his answers to all of the questions. Here's what scares me most about Paul, I like what he has to say. Watch out!!! If only he weren't from Texas.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

If it's Saturday Morning

I decided to have a bagel for breakfast this morning. As I headed to the kitchen, I was trying to decide between a cinnamon raisin bagel and a blueberry bagel. When I opened the bread box my choice was quickly narrowed. All we had left were thin sliced whole wheat bagels. UGH!!! They aren't even real bagels!! I'm guessing that family members had finished off the good bagels. If this keeps up, I may have to run away from home. I was able to put enough honey pecan cream cheese and peanut butter on that bagel to negate the value of the whole wheat!!

Today is Republican primary day in South Carolina. That will give me something to watch on television tonight. South Carolina is a whole different world. My mother's family is from South Carolina. The Steeles settled there in 1790, so we have been there for a little while.
At a Sons of Confederate Veterans convention in Charleston in 2000, I described South Carolina as "too big to be an asylum, too small to be a country." Yeah, they didn't like it either.

What's the culture like in South Carolina? You want to define disgusting? Go to Salley, South Carolina for their annual "Chitlin Strut". Bring your own gas mask!

In 1865 at the end of the Civil War, Jefferson Davis fled Richmond. He passed through South Carolina and actually spent a night in York, my mother's home town. He wrote that it was the best reception that he had experienced since he arrived in Richmond early in the war. It seemed like the residents of York did not realize that the war was over. I was there in 1965, 100 years later, and they still didn't know the war was over.

There was a story on the news this morning about the spouses of the GOP candidates. Karen Santorum was interesting. Before she met and married Rick and had seven children, she lived for six years with a doctor who did abortions. I forgot to mention that he was 40 years older than her and was actually the doctor who delivered her at birth. She will fit right in there in South Carolina. I doubt that she will even be noticed. This is the state that gave us Strom Thurmond. At age 66, Strom married a 22 year old. Maybe the Thurmond voters will go for Santorum.

How about that Calista Gingrich? She's a real beauty. Of course, that's in an anorexic, Wicked Witch of the West kind of way. This is Newt's third try at marriage, you have to figure that he's learned something. I am still awed that he married his high school teacher as his first wife. That could be a plus in South Carolina. A friend claims that the third marriage is the one that works. It doesn't matter if it works, it's South Carolina.

Wives aside, it's all about the votes in South Carolina today. Will Romney win in South Carolina? Are you serious? Romney will be lucky to finish third or fourth. Gingrich and Ron Paul will probably finish ahead of him. It isn't Louisiana, so a dead man (like Rick Perry) won't win. Santorum may do well, but being a Yankee isn't helping him. Romney, he's both a Yankee and a Mormon, and it is South Carolina. Romney may finish third. That's predicated on the voters not seeing the Karen Santorum story. If enough see it, they could push Rick ahead of Mitt.

What's the meaning of all of this? It means if the results match my predictions, my next job is political analyst. Is anyone from CBS reading this swill??

Friday, January 20, 2012

Presidential Debate??

I watched the highlights from the South Carolina debate last night. CNN demonstrated that they have no real interest in providing a fair discussion of the country's future when the opening question was directed to Newt Gingrich and was about his ex-wife's charges that he has low morals.

Low morals in a politician? I'm taken aback. What's the degree of difficulty in getting some one's ex-wife to talk trash about them? How hard would you have to look to find that?  You could probably find some one's current wife willing to talk trash about them.

It is interesting to note the change in moral standards at CNN. They have become so much more concerned about Presidential morals than they were during other times. The Clinton administration comes to mind for some reason.

Where was CNN when Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky turned the Oval Office into the Oral office?? Oh wait! That doesn't count, they were both Democrats. What about Clinton and Paula Jones? Clinton and Geniffer Flowers? How about Clinton and (insert name of big-breasted, big-haired bimbo here)?? By now, even the slow among you must understand this point. I will move on.

Should we discuss CNN and their handling of the John Edwards story? Edwards was having an affair with some airhead while running for President and no one noticed. The only media source that ran that story was the National Enquirer. I can't believe that I used "media source" and "National Enquirer"in the same sentence.

Can you imagine some CNN reporter opening a Presidential debate in 2008 with a question like this. "Senator Edwards, is it true that while your wife is dying of cancer, you are having an affair with some whacko trollop?" I'm pretty sure that never happened.

Evidently everything has changed. That's probably due to the Chosen One being in the White House. CNN and other socialists in the media realize that their guy needs another four years to finish his destruction of the nation. There may be a dollar or two somewhere that has not been squandered on a "stimulus" package. Another four years of Obama and the Communists will be leaving the country. I'll rant more another time.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Last Day at T&S

Here are a few pictures from my last day at T&S.






Sunday, January 15, 2012

Last day

Today is my last day at Tex & Shirley's. If you are a customer reading this, thank you for your business. If you an employee reading this, I have enjoyed working with almost all of you.

Monday, January 09, 2012

Tribute to Elvis

I realize that I'm a day late for Elvis' birthday, but I'm posting this anyway. Yes, it's a blue M&M doing an Elvis impression. When did you last see a blue M&M singing Blue Christmas??

Is this tacky? I own it and you're asking a question like that?? Somewhere in Montana, there's a six year old who appreciates my sense of humor. I'll wait for a verdict from the six year old.

Thursday, January 05, 2012

It's in the genes

Here's a picture of our granddaughter Alice. It appears that she is giving the photographer "the finger."
There's no need to check the DNA to see if this child is ours!!