No, I haven't been abducted by aliens

I'm still here. Been a bit busy with stuff lately. To all of the considerate people who dropped by and offered support, I would like to thank you.
I've managed to dump a few pounds since I was last here, but that doesn't really mean a thing; you can lose a lot of water without dropping fat. The workouts continue.

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The presidential race is interesting; the Republicans have a goofy old coot, and the Democrats have no idea what they want yet. The catfight on that side is amusing; it would seem that the only thing they hate more than Republicans is each other. Personally, I don't care for either side, but I have noticed some things. Republicans disagree quite a bit when it comes to some things, but they usually find a way to organize and get their shit all in one ball when it comes down to a crunch. The Democrats seem to be divided up into a lot of factions that all want THEIR way or NO way; and they end up squabbling instead of putting up a united front. They weren't as bad when I was younger. Back then they were worried about minorities in general; these days each one thinks it is the one that should be running things, and that anyone else is stealing their thunder.
Both sides are trying for too much power, though; the Republicans want to legislate morals, and the Democrats want to legislate everything else. It never occurs to them that some of us just want to be left alone. The government is supposed to be servant, so why are they telling US what to do?

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Looks like South America is safe from war (at least for this week); the leaders of Columbia, Ecuador, and Venezuela have agreed to shake hands for now. Of course, they are probably running troops around behind the scenes; I think Chavez would like to have an excuse to "liberate" some of the surrounding countries from "the evil American empire" and incorporate them into his Marxist utopia.

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Seems to be a big rash of dumbasses shooting up crowds and then offing themselves. You'd think it would occur to someone to quit giving these idiots a big stage to go out on. They are basically suicidal people who want to be famous on the way out. Maybe the media should quit giving out their names; just call them a "nameless killer" and vilify them as the obnoxious jerks that they are. I don't care if someone wants to check out, just don't go dragging a bunch of innocent people into it so they can be famous when they go out.

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I see the debate has opened again on whether licensed CCW owners can carry on campus. Now they have several campuses that are arming their security people so that students can "feel safe". If you look at the situation, how is this better? The odds of an innocent person being shot by a police officer are higher than being shot by a person with a CCW. For a good essay on the subject of concealed firearms, you can't do better than to check out Nate's post on the subject.

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Enough ranting and raving (for now, anyway). It's time for a couple of hours of moldy oldies with which to get mellow. The top ten in the list are good ones:

"Walk Away Renee" by The Left Banke
"That'll Be the Day" by Buddy Holly
"Hey, Good Lookin'" by Hank Williams
"Lightnin' Strikes" by Lou Christie
"This Diamond Ring" by Gary Lewis & the Playboys
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye
"Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" by Kenny Rogers and The First Edition
"Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
"I Am the Walrus" by The Beatles
"House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals

Some of you might even remember a few of them.