From A Certain Point of View

Time For An Update

2007-06-26T22:10:00.000-07:00

Didn't realize it has been a month since I've put up a new post. There's been a lot of minor changes, all for the better (I think).

To make a real, real long story short, I've moved to a new apartment. For the last year I've lived in a small apartment above a bar. The bar hasn't been doing so well financially because the owners didn't have any clue how to run a business. It turns out that bills weren't getting paid and the bank took control of the bar from the owners and I had about a week to move. Actually 6 days to move. Luckily I saw the writing on the wall and had a backup plan in place. So when the word came down, I was able to move into a new and much bigger apartment fairly quickly.

Work has been super busy as well. It's the summertime, and there are a lot of projects that need to get done around the plant which makes our lives much more hectic. For the last month I've been able to concentrate on the basic responsibilities of my new position, but now that I'm more comfortable the little extra time consuming adminstrative stuff is starting to get assigned to me, which is sort of cramping my style, but I knew it was coming. Some simple adjustments to my time management will allow me to get the extra stuff done too.

Lately it's been hot, humid, or hot & humid which sort of sucks. You can't even really enjoy being outdoors, let alone stand in front of a blazing grill when you feel like you're going to melt and you've got the wost case of swamp ass ever.

Went on a little fishing trip today. Maybe in a day or two I'll post a few pictures.

Man, what a drug.

2007-05-23T13:54:00.000-07:00

There is the possibility that I'll be heading to the East Coast for work in about 10 days, so I decided to do a little research on the internets.

Do you ever go to Wikipedia and just lose track of time? IMDB used to do that to me, but lately it's been Wikipedia.

I went over to the online encylopedia and did a quick search on Portsmouth, New Hampshire which is near my possible destination. I got all of the useful information I could from the entry and started poking around a little and saw that Betty Hill is a so-called famous person from Portsmouth. I decided I'd check out her page as well.

After checking out Betty Hill for a while, I was lead to another page which I cannot remember, but that in turn lead me to Project Serpo. Eventually I ended up on Serpo.org and I was hooked for the rest of the night.

If you haven't clicked on any of the links yet, I'll be upfront: It's a story about an alien encounter. I don't get all Tom Cruise about aliens, but I have a healthy amount of both skepticism as well as an open mind about things extraterrestrial. If you believe in the existence of aliens (not the ones from Mexico!) you should check it out. If you absolutely don't believe in aliens, but like a good story I'd still recommend checking it out.

I have lost about 3 hours of my life that I will never get back, thanks to Wikipedia. I'm not complaining though - it gave me something to do.

Is there anything worse?

2007-05-08T15:28:00.000-07:00

THAN A MOSQUITO BITE ON YOUR FUCKING ELBOW?!?!?!?!

The new me? We'll see.

2007-05-05T13:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I hopped on the scale and found myself to be a good 60lbs heavier than I'd like to be. It's really no suprise considering the sedentary type of work that I do. What irked me though was that I've gained another 5lbs in the last month.

So I've decided to do something about it.

I went out and bought a bicycle. I haven't owned a bike since my the last one was stolen about 3 years ago. I've mapped out a couple courses around the house that I'll try and tackle. There are plenty of hills, so it should be a good workout.

I'm a Mt. Dew junkie. If you were to see me at work, you'd almost always see a green bottle near me. I don't plan to go cold turkey, nor do I plan to cut out soda all together (at least not intially), but the new plan is to up my water intake while decreasing the soda intake.

I plan to make time for the gym also. We actually have a gym at work. It's not the newest equipment and nobody likes to spend anymore time on work property than they need to, but the reality is that I live in the sticks and I'd have to drive 30 mins in each direction to find a gym to join, so I might as well use the equipment at work. It's free and it's close.

Hopefully I'll be able to make the changes and see the results that I want to see. It's so easy to make excuses.

2007-04-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

A little over two years ago I wrote a post about the TV movie Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas. I've since turned the comments off on that post, but if I recall correctly I was ridiculed for my taste in television movies, but I withstood it by admitting my undying love for Christina Applegate.

So today I went on a three store crusade in search of a very specific USB flash drive. Color me suprised when I made a quick detour to the DVD isle in Target and saw that I could purchase my very own copy of Suzanne's Diary. I didn't pick up a copy though, because I couldn't solve the debate that was going on inside my head. It's a good movie with good acting and a good story. I wouldn't mind watching the movie again, but its not a movie I'd watch 40 times. With that said, can you really justify spending $19.99 for a movie that you liked but would only watch one or two times, especially a tv movie? After a little research I determined that this movie was released to DVD at the end of January of this year. Conclusion: I'll wait until it hits the $9.99 rack and possibly pick it up then. The movie could be deceptively popular though. When I was in Target there were only 3 copies left, so apparently I'm not the only one who enjoyed the movie.

In other news, I received a call from work today. It appears that today is my lucky day. I was told that I placed second in the competition for one available promotion, beaten out by a solid candidate with about a year of experience more than me. Which typically isn't a good thing - unless another supervisor tenders their two week notice, opening up another spot to be filled.

I'm supposed to start supervisor training next week.

Probably my biggest fault.

2007-04-11T21:04:00.000-07:00

In the almost 3 decades that I've inhabited the planet I've come to learn that there are things that I like to eat, things that I don't like to eat, and things that I will not eat. There really isn't much deviation to this either.

The other night I was sitting at work talking to a supervisor when I was offered a chance to try the new Doritos Blazin' Buffalo & Ranch chips. I'm not the type of person willing to take chances with food. If I'm not completely sure that I'll like something, I don't order it at a restaurant and I don't buy it at the store. Since I was off the hook I gave the chips a try and I'm happy to say that I liked them. So that's pretty cool, now I've got something new that I can say that I like. That hasn't happened in about 4 years when broccoli was added to the list.

So if you get a chance steal a chip from someone and give it a shot. If you're not like me, you could probably just out and buy your own bag.

Sitting on my hands.

2007-04-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

This morning I tested and interviewed for the promotion I'm trying to get. I feel like I did okay, didn't do anything to hurt myself but I'm also not sure if I did anything to help myself either. Five of the six candidates tested and interviewed today, the only remaining person will interview sometime next week. Hopefully by this time next week I'll know whether or not I'm getting bumped up.

The interview was about what I expected. I was asked questions by three people. The first half was questions about my character and what I could bring to the position. The second half was scenario based questions on situations a supervisor would come across.

The test was a little different than I thought it would be. I was under the impression that there were 30-50 questions, most being multiple choice and a couple essay questions. I was a little suprised when I found it was only 10 questions - all essay type. But I feel like I did a pretty good job.

We'll see.

Somebody kill me

2007-03-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

With a little luck I've managed to survive the winter without catching some sort of sickness. It appears I won't be as lucky for the spring season.

Chills
Sweats
Aches
Pains
Sore Throat
Can't stop coughing because of never ending sinus drainage
Diarrhea (cha-cha-cha)

I've spent the better part of the last three days in bed, fortunate not to be missing any work. I wake up each day still feeling sick, yet better than the previous day. By the time I go back to bed though I feel like I just got my ass kicked. I'm probably not getting enough sleep but that's the other annoying part. I don't quite feel bad enough to stay in bed. When I wake up, I'm up and can't fall back asleep. Maybe I need some medicinal marijuana?

After 2 years the circus is over

2007-03-18T18:54:00.000-07:00

Or is it?

For the last two years you could not go to a coffee shop in my town without hearing about Steven Avery. Would a man who spent 18 years in prison for rape he did not commit rape and murder a photographer on his own property? Today a jury believed so and delivered a guilty verdict.

I wish I could say this case would just fade away, but there are so many questions and so much doubt surrounding the Police Departments handling of the case that I'm afraid that we'll never know.

Typical

2007-03-16T00:44:00.000-07:00

Just shy of one month I've been waiting on this camera to get off of back-order and ship to my apartment.

Last Friday morning I logged in to check the status of the camera only to find it was still delayed. I had gotten beyond the point of being pissed about it anymore, and went about my day. As fate would have it, later that afternoon I found myself in the local Target Store so I decided to swing by the Electronics Department and take a look around.

I shouldn't have been amazed when I saw the exact same model and color camera that I've been waiting for sitting in their display case, but I was in fact - amazed. So I bought the camera, figuring I'd go home and cancel my original order. We all know where this is going, right? I went home and pulled up my order on the net only to find out that my order shipped.

I still haven't started the process for the promotion. I'm not entirely sure what the timetable is on this, but it's not an urgent issue for any of us, especially me since I just received $1.81 per hour raise. I've also been selected to be part of a natural disaster team. In the event of a significant natural disaster that would require more security at a different plant in the United States, I'd be one of the guys to go. It's an 18 month assignment, so that should pretty much guarantee good weather around the country for the next 19 months.

Choices, Choices..

2007-03-05T12:47:00.000-08:00

Almost exactly a year ago I spent most of my time worrying if I was good enough to get my current job. Today I worry if I'm good enough to lead.

Ok, that's a little over the top. I know I'm good enough to lead, I'm just not sure if I want the headaches associated with it. Recently a supervisor quit and I have a week to decide if I want to sign up as a candidate to replace her. In the end, I know I'll eventually add my name to the list. Although I'm not exactly sure if it's lip-service or not, the current crop of supervisors tell me I'm in a dead heat with another person for the job, as long as I sign up.

The truth is that I'll be giving up a pretty easy gig if I do get bumped up, but on the other hand I'll have a little more say in the day to day goings on around our little operation. All I really worry about is having to eventually make the hard choices that can (and usually do) effect workplace friendships down the line. I know I'm not alone. The other guy that I'm supposedly in competition with for the job hasn't added his name to the list yet, for the very same reasons.

Choices, Choices....

I can never win.

2007-02-27T18:49:00.000-08:00

In the past I had the misfortune of working for Circuit City. I worked there for a little over 2 years, some days were good and some days were bad. One thing that was nice about the job is that I got to play with the newest, latest, and greatest stuff on the market and I became pretty good with digital cameras.

Occasionally somebody will ask me for a recommendation on a new camera and without hesitation I always tell them to get a Kodak. To be clear I'm talking about a basic point and shoot camera, not a digital SLR or something of the professional nature. During my time at Circuit City I was able to demo a lot of cameras and even though other companies made a fancier or more compact camera, you could really see the difference when you took a picture of something and immediately printed it out. The Kodak cameras were always consistent in showing things in the true color and shade whereas other cameras sometimes over or under compensated, maybe due to the software in the camera. Beyond all of that, I've always recommended Kodak because they are so simple to use that even a first time user could operate it without difficulty. I also liked the memory chip they use, the SD card, which is more universal than say Sony's Memory Stick.

So, about a year ago some of you may recall that my camera was stolen on a snowmobile trip. I've never gotten around to replacing it until now. On Valentine's Day I decided to reward my single lifestyle by purchasing a new camera, one that is just hitting the market from Kodak. I could only get it by ordering direct through Kodak, so I decided to order online. Before actually placing the order I called Kodak to find out how long the camera was going to be on backorder, as their website indicated. The rep that I talked to told me the camera was actually in stock, so I placed the order over the phone.

A couple of hours later I got an email confirmation telling me that my order was placed, that the camera may or may not be on backorder, and that my estimated ship date was Feb 10th, a whole 4 days before I even placed the order. Talk about lightning fast service huh? I emailed Kodak to find out what was actually going on. They apologized for their stupidity and told me they expected my camera to ship on Feb 20th. As of today, the camera still has not shipped, so I emailed them again and was told they expect it to ship on March 3rd. I feel like I'm part of the carrot on a stick routine.

My conclusion: Kodak makes a great camera if you can actually get one in your hands. I wouldn't recommend ordering something directly from them if you can avoid it.

Dissecting Tim Hardaway

2007-02-17T18:27:00.000-08:00

So I'm sure most people have heard Tim Hardaway's comments about gay people, right?

In the event you haven't, I'll provide a snippet:

"You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known," Hardaway said. "I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States."

I really only had one thought when I read what Tim had said. I wish there were more people like him out there. Dan Le Batard, the host and Hardaway's interviewer, threw him a question that is supposed to come off as hard hitting and edgy. He expected to get the softball answer that 99% of professional athletes will give. They clear that hurdle and then it's time to move on. But this time Tim Hardaway hit that ball right out of the park. A slam dunk, if you will.

The point that people are missing is that it is not the answer that he gave, it's that he gave an honest answer and that's all you can ask for from anyone, really. For 50 or more years it was considered acceptable to hate someone not for the color of their skin, the religion that they practiced, whom they slept with, or what their hobbies were. If that person lived in a Communist country is was ok to hate that person. It was government sanctioned even.

So how is that different than hating someone because they are gay? Some will argue that to be gay is not a choice a person can make. Some will say it is a choice and a sin. I have no idea who is correct because I'm not gay. But I do know this, I'm very tired of the very small gay community and politically correct crowed imposing their will on our society. The overwhelming majority of this world are not gay. They never have and never will be. Some of us "straight" people don't care what gay people do. Some of us do care.

My answer to the question of gay marriage is that I support it. I think gay people should be allowed to be as miserable as any hetrosexual couple that has experienced love and finally bitter divorce. But of course marriage is primarily a religious ceremony, so good luck finding a willing church. But on a more serious note, I'd support gay people being given the opportunity to make legal arrangements, live together, file taxes as a joint unit, carry each other on their insurance, etc, etc. None of that matters to me, I don't feel threatened by gay people.

Whether it's right or wrong gay people are going to have to accept a few points. They are small in numbers which means they will always be persecuted and discriminated upon in some degree. They may not be right, but it is a fact. Ask the Jews or Johovah's Witnesses. Secondly, regardless if a gay person can make a choice or not, regardless if it can be proven that homosexual tendencies can be shown in other animals in this world, homosexual activity is unnatural. Two males can't reproduce and advance the species, neither can two females. Because of that fact you will never be the majority. If you want to live in a world that isn't going to hassle you, you may want to reconsider your strategy - and not get so pissed off when someone has the balls to say they don't like you.

The (Silicon?) Boob Tube

2007-01-17T19:44:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize that I hadn't posted since Christmas.

Things haven't been that busy, although I have been on a few snowmobile trips now and then. I used to do a lot of my blogging from work - I had the time there was nothing better to do, until now.

I can't say that I'm a big fan of television. My TV has been turned on probably 5 or 6 times in the last month in a half. Sadly, most of my life revolves around the internet. I do my banking online, I stay connected to old friend around the globe through instant messenger services, I go to websites for my daily news and weather forecasts.

It's not to say that I don't enjoy good programming, but I do get irritated if I find a show that I enjoy only to end up missing episodes because of work or other social events. I could always get a TIVO or some other type device to keep me connected, but why bother when I can get my fix online?

A while back I mentioned the wonders of AllFG. It's gone through some changes and is now ALLUC, but the premise is the same. You can watch some of your favorite TV shows AND movies online, Youtube style. There is another site called Peekvid that also has a lot of great content.

So, if I'm gone for 3 weeks again you'll now know why. I'm still working my way through the Stargate SG-1 series, or possibly watching a new release that is still in theaters like The Good Shepherd or Rocky Balboa.

Happy Christmas

2006-12-25T05:37:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone that wanted to got to spend Christmas with their families. I spent my Christmas with my other family - my brothers and sisters in arms, walking the line at the power plant. I had to work Christmas Eve into Christmas morning, and I have to be back in tonight as well.

It's another particularly bittersweet holiday for me. My kids are still in Germany and it's going on a year and half since I've seen them. At least I got to chat with them for a few minutes. They weren't all that talkative - and it made we wonder if they were distracted by their new toys or if I'm becoming less important to them. I'm going to believe it's the former not the latter.

I thought I'd share my favorite Christmas song. It's not a traditional song, but it's still my first choice. It's probably one of the only songs that makes me happy, sad, and optimistic all at the same time.

There's a slight twist to it though. Don't let the unnecessary shots of Bill & Hillary ruin it for you.

Is there something wrong with me?

2006-12-23T04:40:00.000-08:00

There really is no easy way for me to say this, so I'll just spit it out:

I think I like Justin Timberlake's new album, FutureSex/LoveSounds.

There are a number of reasons I've dismissed Timberlake. Mainly its the former boyband angle, and the pop / love song genre isn't really my thing.

When the single Sexyback was released, I couldn't stand the song. I still don't like it. I did whoever, like the beat and token rap solo in My Love. I guess I'd say I secretly liked this song and the dancing in the video.

I really started to consider whether or not I really liked the album when I heard What Goes Around... on the radio. Check out the song and tell me what you think. Thumbs up or thumbs down?

The song really speaks to some of my personal tragedies I rarely mention on here.

Been a little busy

2006-12-13T15:43:00.000-08:00

As you can see, I'll never make it in the modeling business.

I've decided to move my blog over here for a couple of reasons. The first is that I've always hated the title. I choose it originally with every intention of changing it at some point. I never could come up with anything that I liked. The second, and main reason, is that I've made the decision to move things away from my name. It's not that I write anything that's outrageous or would bring discredit to myself; it's just a good policy I think.

I created this blog to be a place I could rant about politics. My attitude towards the political process varies almost daily. Sometimes I'm real passionate about it, other times I could care less. So basically I had a blog that I didn't pay much attention to. Now I'll just do everything on one, and if people don't like the topic they can move on I suppose.

I'll be migrating everything over here eventually. Starting with the blogroll and eventually I'm hoping to move all of my posts over here. We'll see how well that goes.

Sweet Redemption.

2005-06-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

So it appears that Kerry was as big a slacker in college as George W. Bush.

It's funny looking back at the election, and remembering that some people were going to vote for Kerry simply on intellect.

Hahahahaha...

Fine Art

2005-05-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a goal that you've always been meaning to accomplish but never got around to for one reason or another?

Something I've always wanted to have since I was about 14 years old or so, was to get a framed copy of the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence. For one reason or another it's one of those things that has slipped to the back burner and not received much thought until I started up this blog.

I was googling the idea and came across this website. You can get a copy of each item (unframed) for $12.95, or all three for $29.00. It seems like a fairly low price, so I'm sure the quality is commensurate.

For me, it seems like one of those things that people should just know. Maybe not chapter and verse, but I think people should have a good idea of what these documents have to say, and the meaning behind them. Afterall, it's what our country was founded on.

2008?

2005-05-06T19:12:00.000-07:00

A Marist Poll indicates that 40% of Democrats would like to see Hillary Clinton run for President in 2008 and 25% of Republican would like Rudolph Guiliani to do the same.

But I've got to ask, what do either of them bring to the table?

Hillary seems to toe the line and preach DNC talking points a majority of the time, which is to say she stands for just about nothing and is easily swayed by the polls. That's not meant to be an insult to anyone out there who votes Democratic, it's just what it is... as previously discussed, the DNC is rudderless at the moment and in the midst of an identity crisis. Remember that last time Hillary was given carte blanche to quarterback a national inititive? It was the failed attempt to socialize our healthcare system. You can be sure this will be tops on her agenda if she receives her party's nomination. I can tell you that in the real world, it doesn't work. I've lived it, been cared for by it, and felt the pain of this type of health care system. I agree that our current system is costly and we need to look at outside-the-box ways to improve it. You can't run healthcare like you would a defense spending project. Lowest cost isn't always the best, and that's exactly what you'll get if our government is running healthcare.

I don't see all that many redeeming qualities about Rudy either. Sure, in general he says all the things that make me warm and fuzzy inside as any "conservative" would. From most accounts, he had a great record as a federal prosecutor, and he did a fine job as mayor of New York City, particularly after Sept. 11th. But does that make one Presidential? No more or less than George W. Bush or Ronald Regan I guess, but he brings a lot of baggage to the table. The DNC hates just about anyone who makes a small fortune, and Rudy has done that with his consulting company and public speaking tours. All of this will put on display and picked over for anything that will hurt him (as it should). He'll be dragged through the mud over his relationship with Bernard Kerick, the former NYPD Commissioner. And there is also that whole affair and messy divorce from his wife. None of those issues would kill his nomination, but what else does he bring to the table? I don't think anyone really knows for sure.

A Love Letter

2005-05-03T15:58:00.000-07:00

I found an interesting letter today, written by former presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich to DNC Chairman Howard Dean.

A couple highlights from the letter:

In regards to comments made by Dean "Now that we're there in Iraq, we're there and we can't get out.... I hope the President is incredibly successful with his policy now" Kucinich replied:

Perhaps you now believe that an electoral victory for Democrats in 2006 and beyond requires sweeping this war under the rug. If so, you are only the latest in a long line of recent Democratic leaders who chose a strategy of letting "no light show" between Democrats and the President on the war. Emphasize the economy, instead, they advised, in 2002 and again in 2004.

Following this advice has kept us in the minority. During the 2002 election cycle, when Democrats felt they had historical precedent on their side (the President's party always loses seats in the midterm election), the Democratic leadership in Congress cut a deal with the President to bring the war resolution to a vote, and appeared with him in a Rose Garden ceremony. The "no light" strategy yielded a historic result: For the first time since Franklin Roosevelt, a President increased his majorities in both houses of Congress during a recession.

Good call Dennis. Democrats have proven over and over again that if they want to lose elections, all they have to do is imitate George W. Bush. People won't vote for change if there is nothing to change. You might as well keep who you have in office.

I've grown to like Dennis, because even though I don't think he's electable as president, he seems to shoot it straight. He makes some more good points in this paragraph, but unfortunately makes a few comments that make him look foolish. As a member of the minority, it's possible he is obligated to toss in some inaccuracies here and there to toe the party line, but he's never struck me as that sort of guy.

President Bush led the country into war based on false information, falsified threats and a fictitious estimate of the consequences. His war and the continuing occupation transformed Iraq into a training ground for jihadists who want to hunt Americans, and a cause célèbre for stoking resentment in the Muslim world. His war and occupation squandered the abundant good will felt by the world for America after our losses of September 11. He enriched his cronies at Halliburton and other private interests through the occupation. And he diverted our attention and abilities away from apprehending the masterminds of the September 11 attack; instead, we are mired in occupation. The President's war and occupation in Iraq has already cost $125 billion, nearly 1,600 American lives, more than 11,000 American casualties and the lives of tens of thousands of Iraqis. The occupation has been more costly in this regard than the war.

No doubt Bush had some bad intel in regards to Iraq. Some of that is his fault, some of it is not. He didn't turn the CIA into the organization it is today Dennis. Your hero's Bill Clinton and the Democratic majority of yesteryear did that. It takes time to get good covert intelligence. Once you pull the pieces out, you can't simply reintegrate them. It doesn't work.

Iraq certainly has more terrorists in country now than it did when Saddam was ruling. It's the only (somewhat) effective way to fight against our military. Yet you complain about terrorism in Iraq, but we didn't see you writing letters to Clinton when Osama was running true terror camps in Afghanistan.

The Arab resentment for America is not greater today than it was prior to the war. An overwhelming majority of Iraqis hated us for either: 1. Not supporting their uprising following the first gulf war or 2. Leading the international efforts to sanction Iraq for it's lack of compliance to weapons inspections. Those people don't hate us anymore, they are happy to be free, electing a government of their choosing, and the lifting of U.N. sanctions. The Saudi Royal family is feeling the pressure to allow regular citizens to run for local political offices. Saudi women are not yet allowed to run for office, but they are being allowed to speak their mind in ways that weren't allowed even a year ago. Syria has ended it's occupation of Lebanon. Who do they have to thank for this? U.S. foreign policy. The writing is on the wall that if you rule a country and aren't allowing basic freedoms, you will have to deal with Bush & Co. eventually. This has been a good change-agent so far, but it doesn't come for free. Soldiers will fight and they will die. As sad as it is, these men and women know the score when they join. Most understand it, and are obviously willing to fight the fight if they joined.

I love the line about Bush's cronies at Halliburton. The President has ties to the company through V.P. Cheney, his time as Governor of Texas, and in private business. I won't deny those ties, but every time someone mentions this, I feel the need to ask "who would you rather have do the job?" Texas companies like Halliburton and Kellogg, Brown & Root are doing the majority of the work in Iraq and Afghanistan because they are they only companies equipped to do the job in deployed areas. I have a suggestion for you, Dennis. Resign from your job and start up your own contracting company. Just be sure it's big enough, has enough employees and equipment to do the job, and then bid on government contracts. Part of the problems involving Halliburton earlier, when they got in trouble was that they were the only company bidding on the work, and they tried to pull a fast one on us and got caught.

The Democratic leadership should be pressing for quick withdrawal of all troops from Iraq.

That's what most Democrats want, too. Your performance in the early stages of the primary, and your recent chairmanship of the party, were made possible by many, many progressive and liberal Democrats. It was their hope and expectation that you would prevent the party from repeating its past drift to the Republican-lite center. They hoped that this time the party would not abandon them or its core beliefs again.

Kucinich actually makes some sense here and we actually agree on something. Dean needs to shepherd the Democratic Party back to the left. If he doesn't get the party's identity back soon, 2006 and 2008 will be a repeat of 2002 and 2004.

Yet you say that you hope the President succeeds. With no pressure exerted from the leadership of the Democratic Party, the past threatens to repeat itself in 2006. We may not leave Iraq or our minority status in Washington for a long time to come.

I think we'll end up leaving Iraq sooner than we left the Balkans. But we shouldn't talk about that, because that was a war largely fought during the Clinton Administration so there is obviously nothing wrong with entering a region and not leaving for 10 years.

As far as the past repeating itself in 2006? I can only hope.

Freedom of Speech

2005-04-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

Most of my regular readers will know that I'm pro-military and generally in favor of the "War on Terror". I take a lot of pride in realizing that not everybody is in favor of it. Some people don't like war period, others don't like the way it's being run, and others just have a hard-on for anything anti-George W. Bush.

And that's fine with me.

Of all things in the Constitution, the part I cherish the most is the 1st Amendment. If not for this amendment, our country wouldn't be what it is today, nor would anyone be able to have blogs, etc.

I try not to be overly critical when someone expresses their freedom of speech when it comes to ideas and opinions I don't like. I try my best to take a deep breath and say "it's going to be ok". It's because of this, that I'm not going to slam the owner of this website. His name(supposedly) is Michael Crook has he is decidedly anti-military. Not just anti-Bush or anti-war in Iraq. The man hates soldiers, refers to them as scumbags, leeches, etc. He openly rejoices when soldiers are killed and proudly displays pictures of them on his website.

The man is truly misguided, but I won't get into the name calling that some military members are using on his website. In fact, I won't even post a comment on his website. Being a member of the U.S. Military is something to be proud of in my opinion. It's not a job for everyone, and having an all volunteer force makes it the greatest military in the world. They make sacrifices that others aren't willing to make. This is my opinion, and you may not agree. Certainly Mr. Crook doesn't agree. What we do agree on, is that freedom of speech should be protected, no matter how much you disagree with what you hear.

Abortion

2005-04-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

If there is any one political topic sure to polarize a group of people, it's got to be abortion.

For once I'm not going to offer a specific solution here, because try as I may, I haven't come up with an answer over the last 6 years or so that I think would work. I will however, offer my opinion on the matter.

I'll start of by saying I'm not in favor of abortion for the most part. Sure, there are instances where most people feel it's appropriate such as a situation like rape. Others will include incest and the life of the mother in that clause, but I won't and I'll get to that in a bit.

The hardest part about abortion is there are so many dynamics to consider. Some are against it because of religious beliefs, but sometimes I find that a little hypocritical. You're against abortion because the church says it's wrong, but I bet you use condoms so you don't get pregnant right? Others want to debate when life begins. Well, I guess my feeling is that life begins when the heart beats. That's my personal opinion though.

Others will argue for women's body-women's choice. Well, ok.. but if it's your body and your choice, should it be a man's choice not to pay child support if you choose to keep the child? Sexual reproduction isn't something you do by yourself so why should you get sole choice on whether to abort or not? That aspect doesn't really seem fair.

As I mentioned earlier, some who aren't in favor of abortion are willing to grant exemptions for incest and the life of the mother. Surely those seem like good reasons, and I'm aware that when people say incest, they mean men who rape children, but I don't think two 20 something siblings should be able to abort simply because they are related, and I don't think expectant mothers should be granted an automatic pass simply because their life may be in danger if they knew the risk before becoming pregnant.

To sum up my opinion on abortion, I think it should be a matter of personal responsibility, just like numerous other issues around the world. That's why I offer no particular solution. Try as we might, it's darn near impossible to force responsibility on people who aren't willing. When I hear about women getting abortions, particularly people I know, it sort of makes me sad. Not so much for the unborn baby, as it does for the lack of personal responsibility on the part of the woman and the man involved. I'd like to see as few abortions as possible performed, and I don't just say that as a sound bite to kowtow to the pro-choice folks out there. I really believe it. I'd like to see as many options considered as possible before aborting a baby to include adoption, but there are already so many kids living in foster homes waiting for the chance that it's not a strong argument.

I don't think increased and innovative ways to teach sexual education or handing out condoms with the kid's milk at school is the answer either. It seems as if our generation is determined to shrug off responsibility for it's actions. Until couples are willing to take responsibility for their actions debating the abortion issue is a lot like a dog chasing it's tail.

Death Penalty

2005-04-25T20:23:00.000-07:00

The Death Penalty is another hot topic around the country. Personally, I'm in favor of it. Detractors will point to DNA evidence that has gotten people released from prison and death row, which is great although I'm willing to bet more people have been rightfully convicted than wrongly executed.

Sentencing someone to death is certainly not a matter to be taken lightly, but I think we do a pretty good job with it. Someone who kills without remorse and will never be released from prison has very few redeeming qualities in my book, and after all appeals are used, and the evidence is quite clear, I see no reason to keep feeding them.

The arguement can be made that there are some inappropriate usage of the death penalty. I tend to agree to a certain point. I think it should only be used on murderers, child rapists and crimes along that level. Execution of mentally diminished folks is one I'm on the fence about. It does seem a little like putting a dog down or something like that, but then I've got to ask: Does that fact that they are mentally retarded mean they didn't actually do the crime? Well, yeah.. they did the crime, but they didn't know what they were doing! Ok, but does that mean they won't do it again?

Social Security

2005-04-25T19:54:00.000-07:00

It's such a paradox these days. It certainly is a "social" program in that everyone contributes for the greater good.. but there isn't much "security" to it these days. The ironic thing about it, is that it was created mainly as a counter to people's mistrust of the stockmarket, following the great crash of 1929, and now President Bush wants to make personal investment a cornerstone of a newer, better Social Security program.

If you ever hear a politician speak publicly of a "Social Security Lock Box" or "Trust Fund", immediately throw the nearest brick through your TV, even it's a cool plasma or bigscreen. There is not a "trust fund" or "lock box". If there ever was, all it would be filled with is I.O.U.'s. Our congressman and senators continue to rob this money to pay for other things that they want. I'm actually in favor of the concept of personal investments, but I don't think the President has found a good way to bridge the gap and that will ultimately prove him unsuccessful in his efforts. Even Republicans are publicly saying they will support tabling the idea for now, and that's big considering the Bush Administration's ability over the last 5 years to have people toe the line.

Social Security is definitely broke, and there are really only two ways to fix it: Fund it more by increasing taxes, or find a way for personal investments to work.

Given those two choices, I say we try the second way first.

Budgets and spending

2005-04-24T16:14:00.000-07:00

It irks me when I hear a member of congress complaining that their favorite program is being forced to take a budget cut, but when you crunch the numbers the program got an 8% increase in funding last year, and is scheduled to get a 5% increase this year. If you listen closely you'll hear them whining about such and such program is getting a 3% decrease in funding in the new budget. Now, I'm not sure where these folks went to school, but where I come from, that is not a 3% loss, it's a 5% gain in funding. There is nothing in our constitution that says a program must receive more money year over year. In fact, there is a lot of waste and unnecessary funding being handed out each year, which leads to my next problem:

Less Is Best. As our system is currently set up (or at least currently run) members of congress gain prestige and support from their constituents by packing as much pork as they can onto a spending bill with pet projects for back home. Federal funding bills should be created as lean as possible to provide as much left over money as possible to be sent back to each state. I'm a state's rights kind of guy and I'd rather see my elected officials stripping as much junk off of a proposed bill so that they could provide more money for my state to be used as we see fit.

Basically, I feel that my opinion on government spending can be summed up like this: Who knows how to spend my money better than me? Fund what you have to at the federal level, take anything left over and give it to the states to fund what they have to, and if there is anything left, save it for the next year. I don't really want the money back. All around our country people are encouraged to save money for the future, so why not the government? Saving money now will help us in times of need, such as our current war on terrorism and the Social Security fiasco... But those are topics for another time.

Taxes

2005-04-24T16:06:00.000-07:00

The whole taxation process leaves a lot to be desired. It's entirely too complex with too many loopholes. I'm completely in favor of everyone paying their fare share in taxes, and I don't necessarily agree that people should be able to get out of paying their share because their income is too low.

The easiest way to fix the problem is to migrate to a flat tax system. This would eliminate a lot of the problems we face in regards to taxes and it would eliminate a lot of verbal pollution and doublespeak on Capitol Hill. Just to pick a number out of the air, let's say we had a flat tax system and everyone contributed 15%. That means the person flipping burgers for minimum wage would contribute 15% of his or her income to the tax rolls, but so would the CEO who works on a 2 million dollar per year salary. It's the only fair way to do things.

The Judicial Process

2005-04-24T15:36:00.000-07:00

One of the things I've found irritating is the hold up on judicial appointments. Currently the Democratic Party is doing everything it can to prevent President Bush's judicial appointments from getting an up or down vote in the Senate.

This isn't a problem exclusive to Democrats, as Republicans used the same tactics when President Clinton was in office. Sen. Majority Leader Frist(R-TN) is leading the fight to end this nonsense. Currently 60 votes are needed in order to end a filibuster and send a nominee to the floor for a vote. What Sen. Frist would like to do is seek an internal ruling within the Senate saying that filibusters are not allowed on judicial nominees. All he needs in order to get a favorable ruling is a simple majority, which he would be able to get. This would eliminate the filibusters and allow candidates to find out if they will or will not be confirmed.

I think this is a fair way to do things. When a person is elected President of the United States, they are elected to set public policy. The public assumes when they elect someone to the Presidency that they will set the tone for wide range of subjects including the economy, foreign policy and judges. A person shouldn't have to wait 4 or more years to find out if they will be confirmed or not. This is plain silly. If the minority party feels threatened by a particular judge, it is there responsibility to try and persuade members of the majority party to vote against the nomination-not hold it up for years.

The last couple of paragraphs lead me into another related problem I have with judges. I was thinking about making this a separate post, but I think I can keep it short. Judges are a part of the checks and balances system created by the constitution. However, they should not legislate from the bench. It's their job to interpret state and federal constitutions and make a ruling, not make a ruling because of how they personally feel about an issue brought before them. I also do not agree with Rep. Tom Delay's(R-TX) recent comments in regards to the Shaivo mess, saying about judges: "The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior." It's not the responsibility of congress to punish judges for handing down rulings that they don't like. Congress needs to create laws that are within our constitution that will offset rulings that they don't like. It is also their job to impeach judges who are not upholding their duties, but it isn't their job to seek revenge.

A little about me

2005-04-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

If I was forced to make a choice on party affiliation, I'd have to pick the Republican Party. There are a lot of things I don't agree with, but the GOP probably comes the closest at this point than any other political party. Just because I'm conservative doesn't mean I drink the George Bush Kool-Aid with no questions asked. I hope that my posts will shed further light into this.

Man Screws Cows

2005-02-27T01:26:00.000-08:00

*sigh* Now I've always been proud of my Wisconsin roots, but I can't defend this guy:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=817&e=1&u=/ap/animal_sex

NEILLSVILLE, Wis. - A 63-year-old man is charged with sexual gratification with an animal for allegedly having sex with calves.

Harold G. Hart, of Neillsville, allegedly told police that he routinely stopped at a Greenwood farm, usually after bar closing or on trips to strip clubs near Marshfield or Neillsville.
A criminal complaint filed in Clark County Circuit Court said the farm's owners installed a motion detector on Jan. 22 after regularly seeing footprints and vehicle tracks on their land. Around 4 a.m. the next morning, a sensor sounded and Hart was caught leaving the barn, but Hart allegedly said he just used a bathroom in the barn and had never been there before.
Hart told police he had sex with heifers before he went into the service in 1963 and resumed about a year ago at the farm. He admitted to using a rope to tie calves around the neck and estimated he had been to the farm "at least 50 times," according to the complaint.
He told police he never had sex with animals while maintaining a relationship with his a girlfriend or his wife, the complaint said.
Hart also is charged with disorderly conduct and two counts of obstructing an officer. Each charge carries up to nine months in jail.
Hart is scheduled to appear in court March 10.
___
Information from: Marshfield News-Herald, http://www.marshfieldnewsherald.com

This raises so many questions you probably just don't want the answers to...

1.) Why switch from heifers to calves?
2.) Were heifers wearing him out? Putting up too much of a fight?
3.) What motivated him to do it in the first place?
4.) Why did he go from 1963 until 2005 without doing it?

It's days like today that I'm not proud to be from Wisconsin...

First Entry

2005-02-26T22:42:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my blog!

About a week ago, I got an instant message from an old army buddy, Derek, whom I hadn't spoken to in nearly 6 years. He has encouraged me to create a blog, and after viewing his and a few others, I've decided to jump into this with both feet.
I'm a little nervous that I'll run out of content for this, or that I'll become too busy to keep it properly maintained... we'll see what happens though. Comments and constructive critisism are always welcome, so feel free to contact me if you'd like.

Relationships

2005-02-26T21:14:00.000-08:00

Ahh, relationships. Being a 26 year old divorcee gives me a little different perspective on relationships I think. I was never really one to date much in high school and found the person I thought I'd spend the rest of my life with at the ripe age of 19. Turns out that only lasted for 4 years hehe...

Relationships are on my mind a lot lately. I see people hopping in and out of relationships on a regular basis and I guess it's discouraging for me, because I don't want to do that to myself. I've been single for about 2 years now, and I think I'm ready to get back into the dating scene, but at the same time I don't want to get back into the dating scene because of what I'm seeing lately. It also seems like all the women that are interested in me either are married and claim to be getting ready to get a divorce, or have just recently broken up with someone they've been dating. It makes me wonder if these people are co-dependant and are jumping from one relationship to another so that they won't be alone or if I'm over analyzing things?

I guess another thing that's got me a little discouraged is that I really haven't met anyone lately that I thought was either serious dating material or potential wife material, but I have been accused in the past of being too picky. I guess time will tell..........

Social Dynamics of a Chatroom

2005-02-26T15:36:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I fequently visit a Yahoo chatroom and it's probably the oddest chatroom I've ever been to. The single biggest reason that I continue to go to the chatroom is that it's "local", meaning people from the town that I live in go there, and if you were wanting to possibly meet someone you could do it. There is nothing worse than chatting in a room and seeing a hot chick, start talking to her, only to find out she lives 2,000 miles away.

The second reason that I go to this particular chatroom is because it's truely a virtual-trainwreck. A lot of the people that are "regulars" to the room not only participate in the chat, a lot of them are friends in real life too.. this is where the trainwreck begins. As with any relationship, sometimes it has it's ups and downs. It's interesting because sometimes these chatters will have a falling out, which spills over into the chatroom and these little social circles develop over who is friends with who, who is longer friends with who because of their friendship with another person, etc. etc. I think most of these problems develop because a lot of the regs are women, who tend to gossip. Most of the arguements that occur in the chatroom are about who is fucking who, who is a whore, and who is a bitch. There are a handful of regulars, both male and female who choose not to participate in the fighting, and that's the social group that I belong to.

Another thing that I've found interesting is a feature that the chatroom lacks, which is a leader. Think about various social groups you know of, whether it's the group of friends you hang out with on a regular basis, community organizations, work, etc.. there is usually someone who either by default or through campaigning, that emerges as the leader of the group. I haven't seen anyone like that in this chatroom who has a broad influence over the members.