One in five Americans is a deluded fool

according to this poll.

Nearly 8 in 10 people in the country say they don't trust the federal government and have little faith it can solve America's ills, the survey found.

In other words, one in five people trust the federal government.
Hell, I haven't trusted the federal government since Nixon was president, and I trust each administration less than the last.  Give the results of the poll a read, you might find it interesting.

But Matthew Dowd, a top strategist on Bush's re-election campaign who now shuns the GOP label, says both Republicans and Democrats are missing the mark.

"What the country wants is a community solution to the problems but not necessarily a federal government solution," Dowd said. Democrats are emphasizing the federal government, while Republicans are saying it's about the individual; neither is emphasizing the right combination to satisfy Americans, he said.

I think he's probably right, bigger government is not the answer to everything.

"Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish - too much handling will spoil it."
-Lao Tzu 

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Warning: floral photographs ahead

We've been getting some nice spring weather for a few days. Around here, that usually means Mother Nature is setting up to sucker punch you with a hard freeze or a snowstorm just when you get teased into thinking that spring is really here. Hopefully we won't get that this year.


Part of my front yard; the three photos under  it are closeup shots within that area. The daffodils are miniatures; they are only an inch across

Future strawberries
















My blood plum is blossoming nicely
















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Looks like there are people concerned with the tea party movement; the government propaganda corp main stream media  keeps trying to paint them as a bunch of extremists and terrorists in the vein of Timothy McVeigh.
What a load of bullshit.
Back when Bush was president, there was all sorts of complaints and accusations of all kinds, and we were told that  from those people that “Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.”  When anyone criticizes the government now, however, we are told that it is sedition. 
More bullshit.  Make up your minds, you two-faced assholes.
In this country we have the right to disagree with our government; as long as we are not violently rebelling, it is the right of any American to disagree and try to change, through legal means, the government.  I disagreed with the Republicans of the Bush era on many things, and I don't see why the current bunch of hypocrites-in-office are any better.  The fact that they are using their lapdogs the media as willing partners says a lot about how low both the politics and the Fourth Estate as fallen.  I am an independent, and I know a lot of other independents and tea party followers, and I am getting a bit tired of seeing them vilified by people who don't have a clue what they are talking about.

"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."
-H. L. Mencken

 We have enough enemies without trying to manufacture them for purely selfish political reasons, from either side of the political spectrum.

"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it."
-Mark Twain

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Went to a local gun show Saturday; found a few odds and ends, but nothing serious.  First one I've been to in a while, so I enjoyed the time.   Ammo was selling like popcorn at a ballgame, but they didn't really have any good deals on anything I was in the market for.

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Does Breda know about this?

Librarians in New York's oldest library have uncovered a surprising borrower with overdue books: George Washington.

The first president of the United States of America borrowed two books from the New York Society Library in 1789 but failed to return them.
Adjusted for inflation, he has since racked up $300,000 (£195,000) in fines for being some 220 years late.

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Any favorites in this batch?

         "Runnin' with the Devil" by Van Halen
         "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
         "Time of the Season" by The Zombies
         "I Don't Know Where I Stand" by Joni Mitchell
         "Ship of Fools" by Robert Plant
         "As Tears Go By" by The Rolling Stones
         "Never Comes the Day" by The Moody Blues
         "Prabhati" by Ravi Shankar/Sir Yehudi Menuhin
         "Red, Red Wine" by Neil Diamond
         "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" by The Animals

A couple from the list

Unexpected consequences

A volcano erupting beneath a glacier in Iceland has shutdown air travel in the UK and a good portion of Europe.  There could be some climatic effects also, I would imagine.  Volcanoes have affected the weather in the past. 
I'm just wondering how long before some idiot blames the volcano on global warming.

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For those who like to skinny dip and get in tune with Mother Nature, this should make your whole day.

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For those of you who are hopelessly out of touch with things, today is Tax Day; better get your return in if it isn't already.

"The difference between death and taxes is death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets".
- Will Rogers

There are some in DC who are making noises about a VAT (value added tax), such as a lot of Europe uses.  Believe me, you do not want such a thing.  It just makes it easier for the federal government to squeeze harder on the taxpayers.


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 Thinking about going to a gun show this weekend, haven't been to one in ages and it might be nice to see what's new, and possibly pick up a trinket or two.  Can't afford to go all out for BAG Day (Buy A Gun Day, April 15).

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"Pancho and Lefty" by Willie Nelson
"Get Together" by The Youngbloods
"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" by The Hollies
"No Fair at All" by The Association
"Some Velvet Morning" by Nancy Sinatra
"Over the Rainbow" by James Galway
"Summertime" by Reneé Olstead
"Guinnevere" by Crosby, Stills and Nash
"Two out of Three Ain't Bad" by Meat Loaf
"You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" by Dusty Springfield

The last two in the list:

One of his best, in my opinion.



The late and great Dusty Springfield

World Peace with rainbows and unicorns

Evidently there is a big get-together to decide on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, arsenal reduction, and keeping bad people from making nukes.  Sort of like when one of the first acts of the League of Nations was to outlaw war.  How did that work out, guys?  If our politicians are to be believed, all we have to do is get everyone to pinkie-swear to be good, and utopia will follow.
It seems to me that there are better things to be doing than what amounts to a large group wet dream; if you can't enforce this sort of thing, why bother?  Do you really think people like Ahmadinejad of Iran or Kim Jong-il of North Korea really give a rat's ass what anyone else thinks?

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A group of researchers claim that spanking children turns them into bullies.
What a crock.
It's been my experience that kids who are undisciplined are the ones with problems.  I could understand if they were talking about kids who get knocked around by abusive parents, but spanking a kid is totally different.  What they might like to consider is the fact that more aggressive obnoxious kids are just the sort that end up getting spanked, not the other way around.  When I was a kid spanking was used by most parents, and we didn't turn out more aggressive or violent than the young people growing up now. 

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 Looks like one of the airlines has decided to start charging for carry-on luggage.  Traveling by air is already a major pain in the ass; you have the security theater of the TSA, the long lines, excessive delays, uncomfortable seating, so now they are going to add in extra fees.  Good way to discourage even more business, dumbasses.  If you make it expense and irritating enough, more people will decide to start driving distances that they used to fly.
Of course, this is a chance for the nanny-state to come to the rescue; Senator Schumer has decided that this is the federal government's concern.  Look, I think the extra charge is stupid, but this is no reason to involve the feds; carry-on luggage is not a human right.

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This TV looks like something RobertaX would like.

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         "Colours" by Donovan
         "Fever" by The McCoys 
         "Smuggler's Blues" by Glenn Frey
         "Dallas" by Johnny Winter
         "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones
         "My Mirage" by Iron Butterfly
         "Cherokee" by Dave Brubeck
         "When the Levee Breaks" by Led Zeppelin
         "Fresh Garbage" by Spirit
         "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison

Winter takes a break

It hasn't snowed in a couple of days; it's nice to see temperatures a little higher for a while.

More of my silly photos.

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Looks like the idiot diplomat who caused the airline problems is being sent home.  Good riddance.  Everyone else has to follow the rules, why shouldn't he?  Especially since a lot of the security theater on the airlines was caused by the sort of scum that he had been visiting.  Some people think he is being picked on, but I don't; if you're going to act like an asshole, expect to be treated like one.

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Jeez, what ever happened to creativity?  Seems like Hollywood can't come up with anything new; just recycle old movies, throw in a bunch of CGI compensate for what is usually a bad rewrite, and then call it art.

H/T to Den of Geek!


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The Republican Party is already trying to formulate strategy for 2012.  The first thing they might want to do is clean up their act and pull their heads out of their butts.  If they're going to spend their campaign money on partying, they better count on alienating a lot of their supporters.
With the unpopularity of the Democratic Congress right now, the Republicans have a chance to gain some ground back, but I think if they do it will be by accident.  The last couple of elections have shown most of the public to be fairly evenly divided between Democrat and Republican.  But there is still a few who are independent/undecided.  These are the bunch that say who wins or loses.  The Republicans pissed off the independents last time, and they either abstained or threw in with Obama.  Right now most of those independents are not liking the Democrat's way of running things; it wouldn't take too much to swing them over to the other side.  If the Republicans expect to get their votes, they need to make some changes.
1. Quit obsessing about gay marriage/civil unions; what consenting adults do is no one else's business.  If two people care about each other enough to commit, let them do so.
2. Try going back to the original ideals of the Republican Party that said small government and less taxes.  You guys are just as bad as the Democrats when it comes to spending and expanding the federal government.
3. Try easing up on the "War on Drugs".  Keeping meth and heroin away from kids is a good idea; wasting money and manpower to bust some guy with a couple of pot plants in his basement is stupid.
Just my opinion.

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Still listening to the moldie-oldies...

         "My Back Pages" by The Byrds
         "Thelonious" by Thelonious Monk
         "Crystal Blue Persuasion" by Tommy James & the Shondells
         "Green-Eyed Lady" by Sugarloaf
         "Just to Satisfy You" by Waylon Jennings/Willie Nelson
         "Beyond the Sea" by Bobby Darin
         "King of the Road" by Roger Miller
         "Someday Never Comes" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
         "Dog and Butterfly" by Heart
         "Reasons for Waiting" by Jethro Tull

Some from the list:

A favorite of mine; have no idea what it is about; you have to remember it was written by Bob Dylan.



One of Jethro Tull's best.

If you believe in prayers, now is a good time

I'm hoping that the miners in the W Virginia mine blast will be found alive.  This sort of thing has a habit of not turning out well.  Here in Utah we have a long history of mining, and have seen tragedies of this sort ourselves, some quite bad over the years.  Good luck and best wishes to all of those miners and their families who are involved.

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Was hoping for spring, but got another couple of inches of snow during the night.  Didn't feel like going out in the cold for pictures today.  We could use a little bit of that global warming, Al.

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Was watching the POTUS's response to a woman's question about being overtaxed.
Damn, but that guy isn't worth a damn at speaking without a speech all written up and on his teleprompter. (Which has me wondering; if something happens to him, who is next in line, Joe Biden or the teleprompter?)
I thought GW was bad, but even he didn't babble on in three different directions for that long and to no perceivable purpose.  All the Big O had to do was answer/respond to the question, but he tried to turn that into some sort of half-assed campaign speech.
Just my opinion.

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 This gizmo is hailed as being great for developing countries, but I think it looks like a damn good idea for industrialized countries also.  I wouldn't mind having a couple around here or when a person goes up camping.  Looks like it could also be good for emergency situations, and is fairly cheap to manufacture.

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Lack of sleep and the weather has me a bit down; when that happens real old music tends to cheer me up.   I'm not one for a lot of nostalgia; the world has changed, and sitting around pissing and moaning about how things used to be better isn't really my style, but for some reason the sounds I listened to growing up seem to make me feel a little better.  Make of that what you will.

         "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice" by The Lovin' Spoonful
         "Gypsy" by The Moody Blues
         "To Sir with Love" by Lulu
         "Rebel Rouser" by Duane Eddy
         "Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell
         "Runaway" by Del Shannon
         "Willow Weep for Me" by Chad And Jeremy
         "Squeeze Box" by The Who
         "Kicks" by Paul Revere & the Raiders
         "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane

The last three in the list:

This was the first anti-drug song I remember; came out in 1966, if I remember right.



How can anyone not cheer up when hearing this old classic?



Anyone growing up in the sixties is familiar with this one.

Hope you had a good Easter weekend

This was one of the coldest ones we've had in years.
Snow off and on all weekend, so much for spring.  At least it's melting away by noon each day. The flowers are taking a beating at times, but still coming back for more.  Getting a little more wildlife out there, also.
More silly pictures, double-click to enlarge.

The magpies have a nest they're working on.

The robins are wandering about.

We have whole flocks of doves; they eat a lot of weed seeds.

More varieties of daffodils.

I'm not sure what variety of mushroom this is, or whether it's edible; my neighbor might know, since she harvests a lot them at different times of the year.

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I'm going to miss the space program when they shut it down.  Some people consider it a waste of money, but knowledge is valuable.  And a lot of spinoffs came out of it; the sophisticated electronics we now enjoy, and a lot of new and useful materials.

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I'm afraid I have to agree with this article;  much of the media has been manipulating the political scene; every time I hear someone wetting themselves talking about the "extremists" in the tea parties, I wonder where they were when the left wing was raising a ruckus, and was treated a lot different.  I never liked Bush, but I think it quite hypocritical when people who made all sorts of insults and allegations against his bunch get upset if someone hints that our current POTUS is not The Messiah.  Politicians are the same on either side; if you think one side has a moral superiority over the other, then I've got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you; cash only and small bills, please.

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Helluva deal with the earthquake on the west coast; I'm actually surprised the casualties weren't higher.  Good luck to those people in California and Mexico who are having to deal with it.

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         "Against the Wind" by Bob Seger
         "Grazing in the Grass" by Hugh Masekela
         "No More Words" by Berlin
         "Sonata for keyboard in A major, K. 322 (L. 483)" by Andrés Segovia
         "Goin' Through the Motions" by Blue Öyster Cult
         "Born Under a Bad Sign" by Cream
         "Gold Dust Woman" by Fleetwood Mac
         "The Old Man Down the Road" by John Fogerty
         "Find Another Fool" by Quarterflash
         "From the Beginning" by Emerson, Lake and Palmer

One of my favorites of Seger's.



Nice oldie.

More pirates captured

NAIROBI -- A U.S. Navy warship exchanged fire with suspected Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean early Thursday, the latest salvo in a growing international effort to curb piracy in one of the world's most strategically important shipping lanes.
Shortly after midnight, the suspected pirates fired on the USS Nicholas west of the Seychelles Islands in an apparent attempt to seize the ship and hold it for ransom. The 453-foot frigate returned fire, sinking one of the pirates' boats and seizing the mother ship, the Navy said in a statement. Five men were taken into custody on the Norfolk-based Nicholas.

I still don't understand the reasoning, why are we capturing pirates?  As I see it, there are two reasonable approaches to this:

1. Blow the ship and its crew out of the water; problem solved, and it sets an example.
2. If you don't want to scuttle the ship (it might be worth something) , deep-six the pirates and keep the ship.  Again, problem solved, and it sets an example.
Just my opinion.

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Mother Nature decided to play an April Fool's Joke on us today; we thought it was spring around here.  When I got up this morning, things were different.

View from my front porch.

Backyard
                                                                                

I'll sure be glad when real spring arrives.
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I think someone needs to tell the POTUS that he won the healthcare vote.  He seems to feel that he needs to go around campaigning for it.   If he already won, and it is going to make life better, why is he trying to sell it so hard?  And why isn't it required for politicians and their aides?  And why is the federal government getting its grubby little hands into it in the first place?

"Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish - too much handling will spoil it."
-Lao Tzu

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The military is still booting out gay soldiers.  I thought this administration was going to do something about that?  If you've got someone who is fit, capable, and wants to serve in their country's armed forces, who cares what they do on R'n'R as long as it is with a consenting adult?

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And of course, I imagine by now everyone has seen this dumbass.



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Oldies and eighties hits abound.

         "Twilight Zone" by Golden Earring
         "Nights in White Satin" by The Moody Blues
         "Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin
         "California Nights" by Lesley Gore
         "Welcome to My Nightmare" by Alice Cooper
         "Sunset Grill" by Don Henley
         "Alone" by Heart
         "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran
         "All Along the Watchtower" by Bob Dylan
         "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way" by Waylon Jennings


Most people prefer the Hendrix version of this song, but I think there is a lot to be said for the original. I also like the video this guy put together.



One of Waylon's best.

This ain't your Taco Bell...

I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I like cooking, and do most of it here at home.  Today we're having tacos, and I like making my own sauce for the meat filling.  These are a few of the ingredients I am using:

From left to right: achiote powder, chipotles, beef paste, unsweetened chocolate, anchos, guajillos, smoked paprika, New Mexican chiles, lime, oregano, cumino, cilantro.  I also add garlic and onions.
The dry chiles and spices are toasted, then I throw them in the spice grinder.  After the meat has been browned, I throw everything in the pan with it and at a touch of water or beer, and cook until it is ready to use.  I also use other chiles such as cascabels, pequins, puyas, and dried serranos in some sauces, but those above are the best ones for all-around cooking.

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Had to get my biannual checkup on my bad ticker.  The cardiologist says I seem to be doing ok, but still need to drop some more weight.  That I already know, so I'll have to go light on the tacos.

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Is it springtime where you are at?  I've got over three inches of snow here, and it is still coming down in large wet flakes.  Hope it ends in the next few weeks, I need to get my vegetable garden tilled up and ready for the new harvest year.

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I noticed in the news that Rhode Island is getting waterboarded by Mother Nature.  Good luck to the people there; hope everything works out.


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Any thoughts or comments on this list?

         "Maggie May" by Rod Stewart
         "She's Not There" by The Zombies
         "Honky Tonk Heroes" by Waylon Jennings
         "Dancin' in the Ruins" by Blue Öyster Cult
         "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi
         "The Best of All Possible Worlds" by Kris Kristofferson
         "Jump" by Van Halen
         "Wuthering Heights" by Pat Benatar
         "I Wanna Go Back" by Eddie Money
         "Amarillo by Morning" by Terry Stafford

One of his early songs, and a good one.



There are a lot of people who prefer the George Strait version of this song, but my favorite is still the original by the guy who wrote it.

"In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours." -Mark Twain

Leave it to Mark Twain to know the score.  I don't know how it is where you live, but that matches our weather.  Yesterday was sunny and fairly warm.  It rained overnight, and was snowing this morning after I got up.  By noon the sun was out, and steam was rising from the streets.  Right now it is dark outside, and looks like bad weather.  My joints are corroborating this.  I'll sure be glad when the weather improves; I'm getting cabin fever.
Managed to get some pictures yesterday, so here I am again with my sappy flower-blogging.

Crocuses and violets

Periwinkle

Daffodils

More crocuses

Flowering catkins on a quaking aspen

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Earth Hour is tomorrow, in which everyone is urged to turn off all the electricity for an hour.

KMA

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In other news, Sandra Bullock's husband is a man-whore.  I'm still trying to find a reason to give a damn.  Isn't there more important stuff going on in the world?

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Dennis Hopper gets a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame.  He is currently dying from prostate cancer, so I imagine we'll be getting news about that before too long.  He's under 100 pounds, and fairly weak.

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Feeling a bit melancholy with the weather, the list shows it.  A lot of old ones here.

         "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire
         "Love Is Blue" by Paul Mauriat
         "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" by Hank Williams
         "Leaves That Are Green" by Simon & Garfunkel
         "Baby, It's You" by Smith
         "My Back Pages" by The Byrds
         "California Dreamin'" by The Mamas & the Papas
         "Walk Away Renee" by The Left Banke
         "Snowblind Friend" by Steppenwolf
         "When I Was Young" by Eric Burdon and The Animals

"Eve of Destruction" is a classic from the sixties; if you listen to the lyrics, most of them are still applicable today.



"Snowblind Friend" is one of Steppenwolf's that is relatively unknown, but one of their best, in my opinion. It was written by Hoyt Axton, and is a familiar story to those who know substance abusers.  Snow was the slang expression for cocaine.

The nanny state sets its claws in just a little deeper

I don't really see much good coming from this bill, a lot of money spent for something that won't even start happening for another four years.  And no one yet has read the whole thing to see what sort of little surprises are in store for us.  We do know that it is full of pork, however.  Interesting that the only way the Democratic party could get it passed was to bribe their own people.  And Congress and the Senate have their own health plan, of course.

"I can remember way back when a liberal was one who was generous with his own money."
-Will Rogers

"Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats."
- H. L. Mencken

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Got looking at my posting dates, and it looks like I've been here for four years; my first post was 3/18/06.  Where does the time go?

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My wife was in Denver visiting her brother for the weekend, so I went out and visited my mom Saturday.
It was fairly decent weather out her way, but a little chillier.


Double-click to enlarge pictures.

In some of my pictures at home, I have shots of the Oquirrh Mountains to the west of me.  This is a shot of them from the other side, over in Tooele Valley.  You can see the town of Tooele at the foot of the mountains.

This is a shot of the road from Grantsville to Rush Valley, where my mom lives.














Some of my mom's neighbors have llamas; they are very protective of sheep, very territorial, and have no problems fighting with and chasing off predators such as dogs, coyotes, and cougars.















An insulator from an old pole.

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A little something for those of us who like both rock and classical:




H/T to James at Nourishing Obscurity

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Some old, some older.

         "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin
         "I've Always Been Crazy" by Waylon Jennings
         "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys
         "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
         "Michelle" by The Beatles
         "Centerfold" by J. Geils Band
         "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" by Bob Dylan
         "Take on Me" by A-Ha
         "Theology/Civilization" by Basil Poledouris
         "The Actor" by The Moody Blues

The last two on the list:

This is from the soundtrack of Conan the Barbarian, an excellent composition from the late Basil Poledouris.




From the album In Search of the Lost Chord, one of my favorite albums of theirs, and in my opinion, has some of their best work.

Anyone got a spare muse I can borrow?

I was hoping to get better about posting more often, but not much luck.  Maybe some day I'll get my sense of focus back.

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I noticed that Fess Parker died; I used to watch him all the time.  Davy Crockett was one of my favorite characters as a kid.
 
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A public service message, concerning gun control:



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I guess in a few days we'll see the result of the healthcare fiasco; I'll be surprised if the socialist idiots Democrats  don't manage to find a way to grease it up and shove it to us.  So goes politics.

"I can remember way back when a liberal was one who was generous with his own money."
-Will Rogers

Times change.

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I imagine most people has seen the articles about this woman; it never fails to amaze me the lengths some people will go to just to be noticed or "famous".

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Some of you may have noticed that I like to post quotes.   As far as I'm concerned, most questions about government and people in general can be answered by a short list of people:
Mark Twain, Will Rogers, PJ O'Rourke, and HL Mencken. 
There are others who are good on other subjects, but for sheer wisdom and snark, it's hard to beat those four, so don't be surprised if you hear from them often.
So there.

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Sandra Bullock's husband has been cheating on her.
Tiger Woods is sorry, and is getting back into golf.

Who cares?

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Any favorites here?

         "Only the Lonely" by Roy Orbison
         "Who Am I" by Country Joe & the Fish
         "Hellhound on My Trail" by Robert Johnson
         "Hero Takes a Fall" by The Bangles
         "When God-Fearin' Women Get the Blues" by Martina McBride
         "Stardust" by Dave Brubeck
         "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by The Charlie Daniels Band
         "Lady Willpower" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap
         "Sick and Tired" by Cross Canadian Ragweed

         "Sundown" by Gordon Lightfoot

The first and the last songs:

Winter is nature's way of saying, "Up yours." -Robert Byrne

We're starting to get some hints that winter is winding down; some of the plants are starting to wake up.  Usually the crocuses bloom earlier than this, but we've been getting a lot of cloudy weather and intermittent light snow.

(Double-click to enlarge)

Various crocus flowers.

Daffodils; not ready to bloom yet.

Swiss chard; have already been using it in salads.

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It appears that Lindsey Lohan wants to sue  E-Trade for a million bucks because they they made a commercial that has a "milkaholic" baby named Lindsey.  Damn, if that girl was any more stupid, she'd forget how to breathe.


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Danger: rant ahead.

I've been watching the health care fiasco for some time now; it seems to get worse all the time.  I've noticed that both the POTUS and The Grand Harpy of Congress Nancy Pelosi have both been pushing the representatives to vote for their pork behemoth.   Some of the representatives are balking, since their constituents are against the plan.  They are being told by both Obama and Pelosi to ignore what their voters want, and vote for it anyway.   That sort of sanctimonious arrogance is uncalled for; people elect representatives to vote they way they want, not how they are told to vote by their party leaders. 

At the same time, the Bringer of Hope and Change is also trying to get the Senate to pass some legislation concerned with climate change.  First of all, I think someone needs to actually study the subject; there has been so much stuff coming out lately with "Climategate", that what is needed is to start over on the subject and look at it objectively.  Too bad the president and his "czars" haven't got a clue as to what any of it means, other than the fact that it give the government another excuse to regulate and tax stuff.  Is the climate changing? Probably.  Is it changing fast, and is it caused by humans?  No way to tell, since the people who have been harping on it have been shown to be fudging the data, lying, and using it for political and financial gain.  If a corporation acted like the climate people have been acting, people would be calling for their heads. Since it goes with the nanny state agenda, that makes it ok.

"There is something about a Republican that you can only stand him just so long; and on the other hand, there is something about a Democrat that you can't stand him quite that long."
- Will Rogers


"The mystery of government is not how Washington works but how to make it stop."
-P.J. O'Rourke

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Oldies forever!

         "Over the Rainbow" by James Galway
         "Leland Mississippi Blues" by Johnny Winter
         "The Battle of Evermore" by Led Zeppelin
         "Samba Pa Ti" by Santana
         "Silent Running" by Mike + the Mechanics
         "Five O Clock World" by The Vogues
         "Are You Sitting Comfortably?" by The Moody Blues
         "Bottle Of Wine" by The Fireballs
         "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" by Nancy Sinatra
         "Bridge over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel

The last two on the list:

Try not to laugh too hard at the dancing



One of their best songs

Beware the wieners of death...

Looks like some pediatricians are getting their panties in a bunch about hot dogs; they think that the dogs need labels warning people not to let their children choke on them.  Just what we need, more nanny state rules and impositions.  Look people, if you have a kid small enough to choke himself on a hot dog, maybe you shouldn't give him one.  Kids can also choke on lollipops, popcorn, candy, and just about anything else that will fit in the human mouth.  That's why we have people around called parents; they are supposed to monitor small children.
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Supposedly there is a meeting this week on the healthcare boondoggle.  What it appears to be is a situation where the POTUS and his lackeys the Congress and the Senate will meet with some Republican representatives and try to get them to go along with the bipartisan charade.  I've noticed that with politicians (of both parties)  that compromise has a different meaning than it does for other people.  In politics, compromise means that one side gets its own way, and throws a few crumbs to the other side.  I'll be surprised if anything good comes out of this; either it will crash and burn, or we'll get some sort of atrocious Frankenstein package cobbled together that will be bad for everyone.  Personally, I'd rather see them toss the pork-filled mess and then start over again, but with both side contributing.  Remember, they don't need the Republican vote to pass this bill, (the Democrats can pass it on their own majority if they want to do so) they just don't want to own it if it turns out bad. 

"I can remember way back when a liberal was one who was generous with his own money."
-Will Rogers

"One man alone can be pretty dumb sometimes, but for real bona fide stupidity, there ain't nothin' can beat teamwork."
- Edward Abbey

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 With everything going on the the world, who really gives a rat's ass whether Tiger Wood's apology sounded genuine or not?

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 I was hoping to blog a little more often, but I've been under the weather again.  Got some sort of sinus-throat problem, but the main problem is my back; some morning lately I have to do some stretching exercises just to be able to put on my shoes, and have been getting some spasms that damn near drop me to the ground.  Hopefully they'll run their course in a few days.  The weather doesn't really help; winter is a painful experience for those of us with joint problems.
 
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More moldy-oldies in the music department; any favorites or comments on the top ten in today's playlist?

         "Against the Wind" by Bob Seger
         "The Lonely One" by Duane Eddy
         "Dog and Butterfly" by Heart
         "Nights in White Satin" by The Moody Blues
         "The Times They Are A-Changin'" by Bob Dylan
         "If You Could Read My Mind" by Gordon Lightfoot
         "Johnny Reb" by Johnny Horton
         "Both Sides Now" by Judy Collins
         "Sometimes in Winter" by Blood, Sweat & Tears
         "Flesh and Blood" by Johnny Cash

The last two in the list below:

This is (in my opinion) one of the most beautiful pop songs of the late sixties; though it is somewhat melancholy.



An excellent song from The Man in Black.

Looks like global warming skipped over the northeast US

Washington DC and the adjoining states have gotten hit by a fairly good blizzard; having been in a couple of those, I don't envy them.  At least in my area we're used to deep snow on occasion.  Hope they don't have too many problems from it.
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Looks like science fiction writer William Tenn has died.  I read quite a bit of his stuff while growing up.  If you are under fifty, you probably have no idea who I am talking about.

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It would seem that the White House has decided that we need another agency, one on climate change.
What is with the media in this country?  There are all sorts of scandals and dirty deals being exposed about the whole anthropomorphic climate change fiasco, and the MSM in this country is downplaying it as much as possible. Of course, these are the same people who fawned over Al Gore, so what can you expect?  The more stuff that comes out, the worse things are looking.  No one is doubting that the climate changes, but the questions are how much does it change, and is it due to human actions?  From what is showing up, the global change is nowhere near as much as some are claiming, and there is damn little evidence that it is of mainly human influence.  It looks to me like just another way of the federal government to get a little more control of people, and expand its bureaucracy some more.

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"There ought to be one day-- just one-- when there is open season on senators."
-Will Rogers

The POTUS and the Senate are having all sorts of conniptions because the Republicans don't want to play games with them on the healthcare plan.  Personally, I don't trust either party, but I think the Republicans might be right in this case.  Start over and try to hammer something out.  Right now, we keep hearing that the Democrats want the Republicans to reach a compromise with them.  It has been my experience that anytime someone comes to you with that line, you are in trouble.  It's sort of like a guy that pulls a gun and demands all your money, then says he is willing to compromise, so he gives some of it back to you.  What have you gained from the deal?   What we have is a bloated corrupt Frankenstein of a bill that they want to pass, but if they start over everyone will have to start wheeling and dealing to get all their pork back into it.  If it is such a great plan, why don't they just pass it?  They have the majority.  My personal opinion is that they don't want to own it if it goes bad.  In effect they are saying to the Republicans, "Let's both pick this up, that way if it turns out to be a turd, both parties get covered in shit instead of just us".

"When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to answer 'Present' or 'Not guilty.'"
- Theodore Roosevelt

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I was going to try and post more often, but a few days ago my CPAP machine (I suffer badly from sleep apnea) went out on me.  It took several days to get it replaced, and I was not doing real well in the meantime, being extremely tired and out of focus.  After having it back for a couple of days, I am doing a bit better now.


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We've been getting a bit of warmer weather around here; it is slightly springlike, so I thought I'd snap a couple of photos if anyone is interested.

Dried tomatillos in the garden.

Hips on a wild rose.

Catkins on a quaken aspen; sun from behind the subject.

Catkins on a quaken aspen; sun from behind the camera.


















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Any favorites, or comments?

         "Night Moves" by Bob Seger
         "Wanted Man" by George Thorogood & the Destroyers
         "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin
         "All Along the Watchtower" by Bob Dylan
         "At the Zoo" by Simon & Garfunkel
         "Lili Marlene" by Dave Brubeck
         "The Old Man Down the Road" by John Fogerty
         "Guinnevere" by Crosby, Stills and Nash
         "It's In The Way That You Use It" by Eric Clapton
         "The Big Country" from the movie soundtrack

Last two:

Eric Clapton; what more needs to be said?



This video has a great slide show that goes perfectly with the track.