Oh I gotta

How is this NOT discrimination?

According to this story, The Department of the Navy going to be practicing promotions based upon a candidate's race (among other things).

The message, sent to a list of other flag officers, notes that "a change in focus of this year's diversity brief is the desire to identify our key performers (by name) and provide insight on each of them." Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead, who apparently originated this order, "is interested in who are the diverse officers with high potential and what is the plan for their career progression. He may ask what is being done within to ensure they are considered for key follow on billets within the Navy."

I thought this was going to be the "post-racial" administration?

Hobsen's choice

Ever find yourself literally pondering the worse of two evils and then actually choosing one over the other?

Recently I was afflicted with some kind of hellish tooth/gum pain. It all started back in June when I bit down on a bagel and was rewarded with instant knifing pain in the lower jaw on the right hand side. (30-31 molars). Usually when you have that kind of pain, it subsides and you find yourself thinking, “I had better not do THAT again” but this was different. It got worse as the morning wore on, compounded by the heat and humidity of being up on a 2nd story roof while doing a site review. By 11:30 that morning I had called my dentist who agreed to see me on an emergency basis and fit me into her busy schedule.
A few minutes of probing and an X-Ray later concluded that there was little she could do but that she felt a specialist Endodontic visit would be required as this tooth had a crown/root canal a few years earlier. I got the names of a few specialists who are on our insurance plan and went home to medicate with Vicodin while I tried to make an appointment.
The following Tuesday the Endodontic Dentist saw me (Norhtside Endodontics in Indianapolis if anyone needs a root canal – these guys are very good) and after reviewing my Xrays decided my tooth really wasn’t a tooth/root problem but that with all the inflammation in my gum it was most likely periodontal in nature; so off to another specialist I went armed with more Rx for anti-inflammatory and antibiotic drugs. A week later the Periodontist saw me and concluded that yes, I had some infection that need some minor gum surgery. All the while this was going on the tooth above was ALSO beginning to cause discomfort but we decided “first things first” and to deal with the gums before tackling the tooth.
2 weeks later (4th of July week) I had periodontal surgery that cleaned up the gums around my lower molars on my right side and left with stitches in my gums and more drugs. 2 weeks later my surgery site was fully healed and those teeth felt fine but now the upper tooth causing real discomfort.
Any pressure on the tooth was cause for immediate and lingering pain. As it happened, it was time for my annual tooth check-up/cleaning so back I went to see the dentist who informed me that there was good reason to think I might need a root canal on the painful tooth (No 3 molar) as it was a very old and deep filling. I called the Endo and made an appointment for yesterday afternoon to have a root canal to stop the pain. Fast forward 2 weeks and now the pain is almost continual when anything (food, my tongue, my finger…) touched my gum or my cheek (shaving felt like I was dragging sandpaper over my cheek). It felt like a rusty nail being driven into my cheek by angry badgers on speed.
Sunday night I noticed that there was a little swelling above my gum line so Monday morning I called my dentist and described the condition. She said that swelling may be due to the “shadow” she saw on the X-ray which might be the beginning of an abscess (made me feel better that I might be doing the correct thing… I am REALLY sensitive to my teeth and gums. I will admit that I am a wimp when it comes to tooth pain.)
Wednesday morning about 4 AM I woke from a deep sleep with intense pain and swelling that was across the right side of my face. By 8 that morning when I called the Endo office I was nervous, sick at my stomach from the nasty taste in my mouth (imagine that) and worried that any number of things were going wrong in my mouth. Thankfully they fit me in that morning and saw me. The dentist said that while the swelling had increased and was worrisome, the root canal scheduled for the following day should take care of all of it.
Thursday morning I was onsite at 7 to do a field report and get some actual work done before I was to leave at noon for my appointment.
I went home and gathered up the wife to drive me (amongst other things, the meds were making me nauseous enough to puke every so often) and off we went to Northside Endodontics to see doctor.

We arrived at 2:30, hit the chair at 2:50 and I was numbed out by 3:05
2 hours later the tooth was completely cleaned out and ready to be packed and a temporary filling placed in the crown when the dentist decided to fill the tooth with antibiotic for 5 min due to the abscess that started the entire mess.

5 min later while the dentist was taking care of an emergency and my tooth sat with the drugs in it, THE PAINKILLERS WORE OFF!
Over the span of 10 minutes I went from being fully numbed to frantically waving my arms to get someone’s attention to PUT MORE DRUGS INTO MY MOUTH FOR GOD’S SAKE!!!

About 15 min. later, when the Doctor came back and prepared to finish the work I started to motion to him to do something. To his credit he immediately attempted to numb me again but sometimes when your mouth is that inflamed, painkillers will only do so much. In my case the limit had been reached. Even the needle he used to inject the drugs with felt like a hot rusty nail in my jaw.
45min later he finished the root canal. 45 minutes without painkillers on a tooth that an exposed root structure and an abscessed infection!
I don’t think I have ever felt pain like that and I hope I never have to again.
Now I am sitting here, benumbed with Vicodin 750ES while taking all sorts of antibiotics, my face all puffy and sore.

The lesser of two evils was that I knew going into the procedure that it would most likely end up that way. As I said, I have very sensitive teeth and gums and I metabolize anesthetics pretty fast too. So I could have pain that got worse slowly but incrementally or pain that almost made me pee my pants but hopefully will be gone Monday.

What a wonderful way to start the weekend…

AT LAST a new post

OK,
I think I figured out how to make sense of the last 19 months of our national cultural nightmare.

I decided that from now on; whenever I read about anything this administration does, I will preface it by imagining the administration official saying (in a dreamy 8th gradey voice)
"Hey, Wouldn't it be KOOL if we... (add the proposal here)?"

Then follow it with the sound of a bong bubbling in the background and voices agreeing, "Oh wow!, THAT is sooooo Cool man!!!"

Try it.

Imagine President Obama in a smoky meeting room in the White House. The Black Eyed Peas are playing in the background, a few Hollywood celebs are hanging around doing whatever they do when they aren't on camera, a few cabinet members are slouching in the conference room chairs, Joe Biden is playing with his "Playmobil White House" play set in the corner.

Then; from beneath a cloud of Government grown hash, Our8thgradeclasspresident proposes his Health Care initiative, "Hey; Wouldn't it be Cool if we just make all those people who HAVE already, pay for all those poor people who don't have jobs to have the same insurance plans that they get? I mean it’s not fair for those poor people to not be able to see the same doctor as those bad ole rich folks!"

Imagine Robert Gibbs at a press conference saying anything he has said in the last year and a half.

Come on, it sorta makes it all make sense doesn’t it?

Doesn’t it?

Great Quote...

"It is only when the people become ignorant and corrupt, when they degenerate into a populace, that they are incapable of exercising their sovereignty. Usurpation is then an easy attainment, and an usurper soon found. The people themselves become the willing instruments of their own debasement and ruin."

James Monroe

Time out...

I've been giving a bit of thought to what this blog is doing and where it is going.
As of earlier this month, I have been thinking of putting it on a hiatus of sorts while I think about what I want to say and whether it needs saying.
That said, I am pretty sure I will be back.

a REAL Christmas story

I found this over at The American Thinker:

A Christmas Story and Message for Our Time
By Steve McCann

Many years ago, in a country and a city destroyed by the brutality of World War II, there lived on the streets a young, nameless boy. No one knew his age or to whom he was born. After the death of a woman he had lived with and to whom he did not know if he was related, he was on his own.
He spent his days among the rubble with other children of similar circumstances. The search for food was a daily and never-ending occupation, whether begging from the locals, or from foreign soldiers stationed nearby, or rummaging through the garbage cans outside military mess halls.
At night, the least destroyed of the nearby buildings with a remnant of a roof overhead served as a shelter from the elements. But no one could escape the constant stench of death and destruction hanging in the air. The smell permeated the very fiber of one's being and would remain embedded in the young boy's DNA for the rest of his life.
One day while wandering about the streets, this boy heard the screams of a woman being attacked. He ran to the scene and saw a soldier tearing at the clothing of a teenage girl. Instinctively he picked up some broken bricks and began throwing them at the attacker. The man released the girl, turned, and aimed a pistol at the boy. The boy turned to run and felt a sharp pain in his side. After falling forward from the impact, he got up and ran some distance before finally passing out.
When the boy awoke, he was in a military hospital being treated for a gunshot wound and malnutrition. For the first time that he could remember, he slept in a bed and was fed three meals a day. After recuperating, he was placed on a train and taken on a long journey to an orphanage near Bremen, Germany.
Some time thereafter, this befuddled boy was taken to the harbor. He stood dumbstruck, staring up at the enormous black hull of a ship destined for the United States. Walking alone up the gangplank, he had no luggage, passport, or papers -- just a yellow tag pinned to his coat.
The winter voyage was excruciating. The ocean was in a constant state of turmoil, and seasickness plagued nearly everyone on board. Finally, on the seventh day, as dawn broke, the young boy stood at the railing and watched the image of the Statue of Liberty slowly emerge from the mist, framed majestically by the skyline of New York in the distance, the peaks of its skyscrapers reflecting the morning sun.
As the boy met the German-American foster parents that had agreed to take him in, he knew not what the future would bring in this strange land that spoke a different language from the ones he knew -- a mixture of German and Polish. He was at last given a first name. He began yet another trip, this time to a quiet, quasi-southern town to settle down on a farm. It didn't seem possible, but life there was even more miserable than the one he had known in Europe.
Subject to constant beatings and never-ending work on the farm, the boy often ran away to find solace in the woods surrounding the fields. His only friends were the animals on the farm and in the forest. Soon a neighboring farmer began to notice what was happening on the adjoining property. He called the police, and child protection agencies took the child away from the foster family.
After recovering from another bout of malnutrition, the young boy was placed in a home with other orphans. There was no one there he could communicate with or relate to. Despair began to set in. Unbeknown to him, he was slated to be sent to an orphanage somewhere in New York State, as he was unadoptable due to a lack of papers. He could not be placed in foster care, as he had yet to be "housebroken."
One day, a man dressed in a black suit came to see the boy. He was the pastor of the local Catholic parish. The Monsignor took the boy to the rectory for lunch, and then next-door to the church building. The child had never been in a church before. The small and intimate space was decorated for Christmas. It was the most astounding sight the boy had ever seen. The lights, the colors, and the atmosphere spoke to him of something he had never experienced: peace and tranquility. But what caught his attention was a group of statues and a spotlight shining on a baby in a manger.
The frail boy, the inner spirit that had seen him through so much now depleted, stood before the statues of holy family. He gazed at the serene face of the woman dressed in a blue robe looking lovingly at the baby. Was this the image of a mother? A mother he had never known? Staring into the eyes of the infant in the manger, the boy felt a presence, as if an unseen hand was touching the very core of the his soul. With a tear rolling down his cheek, the boy whispered, "Hilf mir" (help me).
The time came for the boy to return to the shelter and await his fate. At the door of the church, the boy turned and looked one last time at the nativity scene. A glow seemed to surround the statues, and he was overwhelmed by a sense of hope and optimism.
At Midnight Mass on Christmas Day, the priest related the story of a young war-orphan brought to the United States, his hardship and misfortune while in this country, and his lack of any identity, making it nearly impossible for him to be adopted. The Monsignor asked, as the boy had never experienced Christmas, if anyone who spoke German could take the child for a few days during the Christmas season before he left for an orphanage.
During the offertory, with the Ave Maria being sung in the background, a woman in the congregation felt a surge of warmth and heard a voice telling her she must adopt this young boy. Turning to her husband she said, "We have to adopt the boy the Monsignor was talking about." He replied they could not, as they did not speak his language, they could not afford to raise a child, and they could never shoulder the expense of pursuing an adoption even if it were possible. The woman emphatically stated that God has told me to, we must, and we will.
After mass, the woman relayed her experience to the priest. When their eyes met, and before she said anything, the priest announced to her: "You are here about adopting the boy." He told her that during the Ave Maria, he too heard a message from God, and they would make the adoption happen together. Soon an elderly woman from Germany whose husband owned a local car dealership came into the sacristy offering to take the boy for an extended period. Then two other families came to make a similar proposal.
The adoption process was long and drawn-out, involving the courts and the federal government, but the woman and the priest, who paid the legal bills, persevered. The boy stayed at the homes of those who had offered to help. He gradually learned a smattering of English and how to be part of a family structure.
Around Easter of that year, the boy went to live with his future parents. A birth certificate was created, and in October, the adoption became final.
Thanks to a baby lying in a manger, the young boy from the streets of a war-torn city somewhere in central Europe, whose odyssey had taken him through so many trials and tribulations, had a name and a permanent home.
For the rest of his life, this boy would continue to fight with the demons of his youth. He won some battles, but he lost many others. Nonetheless, he always knew he had someone on his side when life was at its worst.
Today on Christmas, many people in the United States and Europe have turned their backs on God and do not care if He is on their side. Some do not even acknowledge His existence. The pursuit of lives of relative ease and wealth allows these agnostics to become more concerned with material possessions and physical pleasure. In order to succeed at this quest, the basic rules of human behavior as espoused by Judaism and Christianity must be ignored and supplanted with no guidelines whatsoever.
The moral fiber of a country, and the religious basis upon which the United States and European nations have developed, has been replaced by faith in people and government. But neither is worthy of such trust. The men and women we choose to govern us are subject to the frailties of human nature. Many are in government because of their desire to acquire dominion over others, for self-aggrandizement, or for personal wealth.
The end result of the people's reliance on their fellow man is to allow the ruling class to foster policies detrimental to the long-term interests of their citizenry. The guiding principle that emphasizes respect for the uniqueness and inalienable rights of all human beings is often discarded. In the twentieth century, the nations of Europe learned this lesson in the loss of millions of lives in two wars and the emergence of communism.
Will we find ourselves staring into another abyss of our own making? Will the unbridled pursuit of individual materialism and pleasure coupled with the unrestrained power of government spell the ultimate destruction of our societies?
The day may well come when the United States and the countries of Europe are relegated to secondary status, dominated by those whose only interest is to make us all subservient to their power, influence, and ideology.
There is an urgent need for the citizens and the leaders of our nations to go back to a lifestyle based on a belief and trust in God and Judeo-Christian teachings.
As to those who question whether there is a God...fifty-eight years ago, I stood in front of a nativity scene in a small Catholic Church and appealed for help. The hand of God reached out to me in my most desperate hour of need. God is there for each of us and our respective countries. All we have to do is ask.

Merry Christmas from King Tiger

My Previous post while I believe accurate does not reflect my true thoughts for the day.
This is more in line with where I am at today:

THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST
THE world had subsisted about four thousand years when Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, having taken human flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and being made man, was born of her, for the redemption of mankind, at Bethlehem of Judea.
Joseph and Mary had come up to Bethlehem to be enrolled, and, unable to find shelter elsewhere, they took refuge in a stable, and in this lowly place Jesus Christ was born. The Blessed Virgin wrapped the divine Infant in swaddling-clothes, and laid Him in the manger.
While the sensual and the proud were asleep, an angel appeared to some poor shepherds. They were seized with great fear, but the heavenly messenger said to them: "Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of exceeding great joy, that shall be to all the people. For this day is born to you a Saviour, Who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be a sign to you: you shall find the Child wrapped in swaddling-clothes, and laid in a manger."
After the departure of the angel the wondering shepherds said to one another: "Let us go over to Bethlehem, and let us see the word that is come to pass, which the Lord hath shown to us." They immediately hastened thither, and found Mary and Joseph, and the Infant lying in the manger. Bowing down they adored Him, and then returned to their flocks, glorifying and praising God.

Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]

Merry Christmas to one and all.

Merry Christmas from Messr Reid, Pelosi and Obama

I have been saying for months now, the entire "Health Care" debacle before us has never been about reforming health care (unless by reform you ultimately mean less care and worse health for the vast majority of Americans) but rather it is about control. By taking control of more of our money and by creating a vast new entitlement that Americans will come to expect as a right; bureaucrats will be able to dictate to us more of our daily lives.

What we have to look forward to.

P.S. I believe the correct response to all that is to bend over, grab our ankles and shout, "THANK YOU SIR! MAY I HAVE ANOTHER PLEASE!?!"

you wonder why WE don't believe you

Perhaps it is because when ever you hold a summit to discuss how you want the Industrialized world to subsidize your "solutions" to the coming ice age oops I mean Global warming oops I mean Climate Change you do dumb ass stuff like THIS.

Growing up I was taught that when you cried "Wolf" there had better be a wild shaggy dog outside and barring that you had better ACT like you were worried by wolf attacks. But instead you apparently spent your time attacking those who disagreed with your assumptions by burying information that did not agree with the sacred texts and then when you thought we weren't watching, you continue to fly in private jets, drive in SUV and Limo motorcades and live in huge homes.

Sorry, I don't believe you.

The Clock is ticking...tick, tick, tick...

As of 7:30 this morning I have not yet heard anything "official" as to whether Tiger Woods' accident was caused by a marital "conflict", some kind of medical impairment, or just plain dumb bad luck. So far he and his wife have refused to comment to police so there is no official word.
If it develops that he DID have a fight due to the tabloid rumors, how long before someone (most likely NOT Tiger or his advisers) pulls the "race card" in his defence?

I hope this just fades away as he has been a true class act throughout his career.

Hope-n-change, again and again and again...

With full admission, I am cutting and pasting this from National Review Online's "The Corner" as I cannot think of anything better to say on this one.

Unseriousness, Again [Anthony Dick]

The strange thing about the Obama administration's decision to hold these civilian al-Qaeda trials is that the project is flawed even based on the premises of its staunchest defenders: They talk about due process and the rule of law, but the trials can't possibly provide anything close to the level of objectivity that applies in an ordinary criminal-law setting. There is no way the defendants will get an impartial jury in New York, and there is no way the government will actually release the terrorists if they are acquitted. Thus the courtroom proceedings in Manhattan will be, in a very real sense, show trials. They are designed purely for PR purposes, so that the Obama administration can pay lip service to the ideal of due process while implicitly rebuking the Bush administration for failing to respect the rule of law.
Meanwhile, it is the Obama administration that is truly making a sham out of the rule of law, by politicizing the trial process and pretending that these enemy combatants will be getting normal, neutral, dispassionate trials, as if the larger strategic context of the War on Terror will not affect the judge, the jury, or the actions of the government, which is sure to retain custody of the defendants in the off chance they are acquitted.
This reflects the fundamental unseriousness of the Obama administration in the face of terrorism. (Italics mine) We saw the same thing with the foolish announcement that Gitmo would be closed by January, which was the first iteration of the administration's fantasy-land effort to sidestep one of the core dilemmas of the post-9/11 world: We have a significant number of detainees whom we know with operational certainty to be dangerous terrorists, but, for various reasons, we can't prosecute or convict them according to normal procedures. This is another way of saying that there is no way we can prosecute the War on Terror while providing the full panoply of ordinary due-process protections to enemy combatants. And no amount of hope can change this reality.

Time to quit the charade...

"...His name wasn't Smith..." Diane Sawyer (paraphrased).

REALLY?!? Why is that pertinent? If he HAD been named Smith or Jones or Roberts or any other "English" sounding name would it have made a bit of difference?

While I have to admit that as soon as I heard the Ft. Hood shooter's name "sounded" Islamic; a part of my mind thought, "we must not rush to judgement" especially because I know of people from the Middle East who have names just enough different than mine that I would expect them to be Muslim only to discover they are actually not, part of my mind thought, "Here we go again!"

I have some friends who are Muslims. I seriously doubt that any of them would act as Major Hasan did.
Most of them seem pretty "normal" in the way my fundamentalist neighbor is "normal", they pay taxes, work at their jobs, love their children and act as normal people do.What is "different" about them is what they don't do. They don't drink, they don't go to church (they attend Friday service at the Mosque), some of them don't wear ties (I don't understand that one) but none of them are ranting Islamic fundamentalists with weblogs where they call the American Military "the enemy". (or if they are, they certainly hide it very well).

That said, this guy was a bad egg. It would appear that his acts constitute treason and/or are the equivalent of desertion in a state of war. Let's stop the handwringing of "looking for root causes" and "worrying about a backlash against Muslims of all stripes" and just punish this joker.

Huh?!? WTF??

GITMO Detainees get H1N1 shots?

On Hiatus....

Been too busy to blog.

I could not have said it better...

As always Mr. Muir is dead on.

Judgement Day is not that far away...

For many members of Congress.

I was unable to attend the rally in DC nor any of the other rallies across the country but I was there in spirit.

A note to those in Congress; for each of those marchers yesterday who decended on the Capitol steps, there are 2 or 3 who had to stay at home to care for kids, who could not afford to travel or had to work or simply could not afford to travel.

We have long memories and due to the fact that we have jobs (or not due to YOUR malfeasance) we will remember next year if you foist another Trillon dollar burden on our backs expecting that we will just roll over and let you continue to operate "business as usual". US Park estimates were in the 1 to 1.5 million attendance yesterday, more "conservative" estimates were maybe 1/2 that (still a pretty dammed big number) and that did not include those protesting around the country.

This wasn't an "Anti-Obama" rally as much as an Anti-Out-of-control Government protest.

To fix "the health care crisis" we don't need another government bureaucracy, we need the government off our backs. To fix the financial crisis we don't need more debt, we need a government that can truly cut its spending and live within a budget. To keep us safe, we don't need a policy that gives terrorists and our enemies the rights of citizens. We need victory in Afghanistan (something which you have gone on record as having said is not our goal).

Mr. Obama, you ran on a platform of "Hope and Change". Lets hope you hear the message and change your direction before it is too late for our country.

NEVER FORGET II

NEVER

FORGET.
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.
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NEVER

Roughly translated...

This is what President Obama's speech to the joint houses should say about Government run Health Insurance.

Ben Dova - you have to wtch this one

Remember:
THERE ARE NO WIRES OR NETS INVOLVED.

HE IS 56 STORIES IN THE AIR!!!

I hate Kool Aid.

A pretty good read.

James Lewis - Amerrican Thinker

Hmmmmmmmm...

Ok, Monday the White House Budget office released figures that say that by 2019 the Federal Budgett Deficit will be $9 Trillion.


How "big" is that number?

Well; the most recent estimates of the age of the universe from the Big Bang till now is about 15 Billion years.

15,000,000,000 years.

Yeah, 15 followed by 9 zeros.

9 trillion is 9,000,000,000,000.

9 followed by 12 zeros.



9 Trillion is 600 times larger than 15 Billion.

Think about that, if left alone the deficit will be 9 TRILLION DOLLARS in 2019.

I'll be 58 years old then. I was hoping to be able to retire in some level of comfort around then and maybe start a consulting firm. I guess I may have to change my plans.


Oh yeah, we voted for hope and CHANGE didn't we?

Heads SHOULD roll...

OK

Maybe Figuratively...

I'm Just sayin.