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Excerpts from an Interview

The following is a partial transcript of an interview given by vice-presidential candidate DaddyBear on “Talking Heads, Inc.” this weekend.  Mr. DaddyBear was interviewed by Amanda McNicerack-Hugandkiss and Conner Goodhair.


Amanda – Mr. DaddyBear, you’ve seen the video of Qaddafi being shot after being captured, and you’ve heard the protests of Secretary Clinton and other world leaders over this apparent extra-judicial execution.  What would you say to the person who is perported to have shot Mr. Qaddafi?

DaddyBear – Amanda, first, I’d tell him to unload and show clear.  Safety first, after all.  Also, if the BBC footage is to be believed, I’d have a little talk with him about the 4 rules.  That goober had his finger inside the trigger guard all the time and is was pointing that pistol at a lot of people he probably didn’t want shot.

Amanda – You mean you don’t agree with world leaders in that it would be preferable for Qaddafi to have been tried at the Hague?

DaddyBear – Honestly, it’s none of my business.  The fact that the Libyan people decided to give him the Mussolini treatment is just fine with me.  Undisciplined militias with a metric ton of donated guns and ammo aren’t known for their regard for the Miranda rights of the dictators they catch. 

Conner – Mr. DaddyBear, what did you feel watching the digitally enhanced, slow-motion graphic footage of the shooting that we’ve been playing on a loop for the past 36 hours?

DaddyBear – You mean the first time I saw it or the 157 times I caught it while trying to get the score for the Minnesota game on your ticker?

Conner – The first time.  And you have my sympathies for the Vikings.

DaddyBear – Thanks Conner.  That means a lot to me.  Anyway, about the footage.  Well, vicariously, I felt recoil.  Other than that, I started wondering which software suite y’all use to get the gray matter to show up so vividly against a coyote brown background like that.


Amanda – Let’s move to economics.  What do you think about the refusal by Congressional Republicans to pass any part of the President’s jobs agenda?

DaddyBear – I’m all for it.  The government needs to remove itself from the economy as much as possible.  The government doing nothing is better than the alternative.

Conner – Are you saying that the wonderful plan put forth by President Obama shouldn’t be passed?  How can you say that?

DaddyBear – Well, Conner, since you obviously didn’t pay attention in biology class, I’ll explain.  First, I inhale, then I constrict my diaphragm to force air out over my larynx, causing the vocal cords to vibrate, making a sound, then I use the muscles in my throat, tongue, and lips to shape that sound into words that you should be able to understand.

Conner – ummmmm

DaddyBear – If you meant why do I feel that it’s a good thing that the President’s attempt to continue meddling with the economy is being held up in Congress, well, that’s another story.

Conner – Yes, that’s what I meant. 

DaddyBear – OK, then.  Well, as I see it, most people in government are OK, when taken as individuals.  But for some reason, when they all try to do something together, they couldn’t pour whiskey out of a bottle without the instructions being printed on the bottom.  So giving them even more money and power to try to ‘fix’ the economy is, in my opinion, a bad thing.  The government’s proper role is to stay out of our way and leave us alone as much as possible.  Spending another trillion or two is not going to induce private employers to hire people.

Amanda – So you’re OK with Congress stopping the President’s glorious plan?

DaddyBear – That’s kind of their purpose Amanda.  By the way, would you mind buttoning your blouse a couple more buttons?  It’s a distraction. Thanks.  Anyway, Congress is well within its power to vote against anything the President asks for.  That’s the point of having a legislature.  If the President wants to just be a strong man with nothing to stop him from following the policy du jour, then he needs to find another country to do it in.

Conner – But you’re no fan of Congress, are you?  Last week you called Senate Majority Leader Reid and Minority Leader McConnell, and I quote here, “Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum”.  Care to comment on that?

DaddyBear – No problem.  Yep, I said it, and stand by it.  If you’ve been in the Congress for more than a couple of terms, you’re either a megalomaniacal parasite with delusions of adequacy, or you’re a Kennedy.  But I repeat myself.

Conner – …….

DaddyBear – Look, these two simps are playing chicken with the future of our nation.  Both are so wedded to making sure the other loses that they’re not at all interested in doing what’s right for the country.  My point is that we need to replace these career politicians with temporary statesmen. You know, the kind of men and women who have spent most of their life in the real world, then go to Washington for a few years, then return to the real world.  Most of the fools we have now shouldn’t be trusted to go to the restroom without an escort, much less the pursestrings of the largest economy in the world.


Conner – Mr. DaddyBear, President Obama recently announced that all American forces in Iraq will be home by the end of the year.  Any comments?

DaddyBear – Well, Conner, all I can say is that I’m glad to see our troops coming home.  And I wish the leaders of Iraq luck as they transition to a new period in their countries future.  I look forward to my first state visit with the leaders of the new country of Kurdistan, and will certainly have more to say after the rest of Iraq becomes the western-most province of Iran.


Amanda – In closing, Mr. DaddyBear, do you have any thoughts on the “Occupy Wall Street” protests?

DaddyBear – Amanda, the right to peacefully assemble and express dissatisfaction is a bedrock of our republic.  If these people want to get together, make their speeches, and try to convince their fellow citizens to change their way of thinking, I have no problem with that.  However, the part of this movement that is advocating extra-constitutional confiscation of private property, forced re-education of our citizens, and elimination of entire swaths of our people for socio-economic reasons is beyond the pale.

Amanda – So you don’t feel that the protesters should be allowed to say things that are threatening to the status quo?

DaddyBear – That’s not what I said, Amanda.  And your buttons seem to have come undone again during the commercial break.  Can you tuck that in there a bit?  Thanks.  What I said was that calling for the illegal and violent disruption of the lives of other citizens is going over a line.  No-one is saying that citizens can’t protest the way things are.  I’m not happy with the way things are. I just object to people calling for heads to roll because no-one told them that the free stuff stops once you are old enough to shave.

Conner – So we can expect that you won’t be taking part in the protests.

DaddyBear – Quite the opposite.  I’ll be across the street from Occupy Wall Street tomorrow morning, drinking a hot beverage and enjoying a fine fall morning.  All of that while pointing and laughing at the hippies in the park.  I may even take the kids.  It’s rare these days to see such a large herd of free roaming hippies, and I want them to be able to tell their grandchildren about it.

Goodbye, good luck, and thanks for all the wounded

Taken from a speech given by Vice Presidential Candidate DaddyBear:

Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan for as long as he can count on American troops to keep him alive, has publicly stated that in the event that Pakistan and the United States get into a scrum, he would stand with Pakistan.

Hey, no problem.  He’s an adult and kind of the leader of a sovereign nation, provided that someone else’s sons and daughters do the bleeding.  If he wants to side with his neighbor in a war against us, that’s his call.  Far be it from us to force someone to be our friend and ally after we put him in power and kept his useless hide from being tacked to the city gates of Kabul for the past 10 years.

But just so he knows how much we appreciate his candor, if elected, Candidate X and I will bring home every swinging dogtag in Afghanistan the day after the inauguration.  We will make sure to destroy every building, road, fighting position, gun emplacement, and runway we constructed.  The term “no stone on top of another” would be included in the operations order.  The Air Force will get to re-live that whole “carpet bombing” thing they’ve been salivating for since the end of Vietnam so that the process won’t take too terribly long.  Just for good measure, any equipment we leave behind will be stacked up, doused in diesel fuel and have thermite grenades thrown on top to make sure that the best that Karzai and the rest of his kleptocrats can do with it is use the puddled remains for aluminum siding.

While we’re at it, any Afghani that has worked with us and been an actual help as opposed to a parasite or spy for either Karzai, the Pakistani’s, or the Taliban will be granted a green card and a one way ticket to the States.  That way, the go-getters of Afghanistan who have worked hard and risked their lives can come here and enrich our society rather than be killed or wasted in the civil war that I think will start about  9 minutes afte the last C-17 goes wheels up.

One other thing:  Once the Afghanistan withdrawal is complete, we can tell Karzai’s pals in Karachi to go piss up a rope, which Candidate X and I will do as part of the inaugural address.  That way Pakistan and Afghanistan can be buddies without us interfering.  We will, however, make both governments acutely aware that the next time we have to mess with that particularly God-forsaken part of the planet, we won’t be as gentle or restrained as we were this go-round.  Expect “Carthagio Delenda Est” to be the name of the operation for that one.

As for Karzai, we will freeze every account related to him, his family, his government, and anything to do with them.  Let him try to flee the country after the Taliban and the Pakistani’s put a price on his head without the billions of dollars that we’ve been pouring into his country for the past decade.

Ladies and gentlemen, we should be outraged by the lack of gratitude shown to us for the blood, sweat, and treasure we have poured into Third World crapholes for the past decade.  Thousands of American families have an empty chair at the table.  Thousands of American veterans have left part of their body and soul in the dust of jerkwaters with the goal of bringing freedom and a better life to the people who live there.  I won’t even talk about the trillions of dollars we have poured down these toilets for the past decade.  Now we are being told that we can’t count on those we’ve put in power to return the favor if it’s not politically or financially beneficial to them.  If you’re not mad as hell, you’re not paying attention.

Hamid, you’ve had a good run, and you’ve got some nifty cape and hat combinations to show for it.  Candidate X and I wish you luck.  Say hello to the Pakistani intelligence agents that will be in charge of your interrogation and execution for us.  Just tell them DaddyBear said hey!

News Roundup

  • From the “When I See It, I’ll Believe It” Department – The ‘transitional’ government in Libya has promised open and free elections within months.  Something tells me it’ll run along the lines of “one man, one vote, one time” or it’ll be put off indefinitely due to some long-term emergency condition.  
  • From the “Simpleton on a Statue” Department – A twit in New York thought he would express his dissatisfaction with the status quo by taking off his jacket, climbing up a piece of statuary, and shouting out a list of demands, which included the resignation of Mayor Bloomberg.  Apparently being a public nuisance is now considered political discourse.  I’m ashamed to say that the NYPD called out the hostage negotiation unit to get him down.  Guys, this is one of the best cases I can see for rubber bullets and beanbag rounds.  Either that or announce to him in front of witnesses that he’s on his own when it comes to liability for any injuries he incurs and then ignore him.
  • From the “Rule 4, Dumbass” Department – A Marine reservist who was hiking in Oregon was killed the other day by a hunter who thought he was a bear.  The hunter was clean and sober, but didn’t make sure that his target was indeed a bear.  The article mentions that the victim was wearing dark clothes, but that doesn’t matter.  I read about some grade-A idiot shooting at movement or noise every year, and it almost always ends in tragedy.  All hunters and gun owners are tarred with the same brush over it, and it makes me mad enough to spit.  And no it wasn’t an accident.  When it comes to firearms and hunting safety, there is almost nothing that is an accident.  This was at best negligence, and I hope the hunter who pulled the trigger without knowing what his target was spends the rest of his life in jail.
  • From the “Til Death Do Us Part” Department – Archaeologists in Italy have unearthed a pair of skeletons what are holding hands and appear to have been buried with their faces toward each other.  Most will see this as a testament to undying love.  My guess as to the circumstances?  She was cold, wanted some body heat, sucked the life force out of him, then perished herself.  If you look carefully, you can see her cold feet up against his backside.

Today’s Earworm

Queensryche meets Simon & Garfunkel

Thoughts on the Day

  • We took Boo to the Zoo for some Halloween fun tonight.  Now I know why scientists invented birth control.
  • Ladies, you looked great in the naughty Halloween costumes.  No, really, you did.  However, this was kind of a kid’s event, and even the 9 year old boys were distracted.  Maybe you could save those outfits for the bar and dress like moms next time, OK?
  • Dude, the zoo is a non-smoking place.  Flicking an ash onto the kid of a guy who easily has a foot of height and 100 pounds on you is not a good idea.  Also, doing it where the director of the zoo can see equals an early end to your evening and that of your kids.  Happy bloody Halloween to you too. Jerk.
  • Lady, I know it’s kind of dark and crowded, but make sure you grab the hand of the correct child.  I’m a gentleman, but I will lay a beating down to keep a fool from walking off with my kid. 
  • To the volunteers and staff who hand out candy, dress up in costumes, stand around for 4 hours, deal with thousands of people to put on the party, and do it all cheerfully, you have my utmost thanks and respect.
  • I realized I was doing something right as a parent tonight when while we were riding the haunted carousel they were playing “Dead Man’s Party” and Boo knew the lyrics and could sing along.
  • Contrary to popular belief, labrador retrievers will indeed eat candy corn out of a child’s hand.  I did not know that.
  • Finishing the day by popping a big bowl of popcorn  and letting Boo watch “The Wizard of Oz” for the first time just feels right.

Applesauce Spice Cake

It’s that time of year again, where a bear’s thoughts turn to things with nutmeg and cinnamon in them.

Girlie Bear’s going to a sleep over tonight, so we thought we’d whip up something for her to take, and this seemed appropriate.

Ingredients:

1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Nutmeg
Ginger
Cinnamon
Cloves

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 to 1 cup white sugar, depending on your tastes
1/4 cup honey
Vanilla, bourbon, or almond extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup applesauce

1 small apple, cored and peeled, and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup raisins

Sift flours, soda, baking powder, and spices (to taste) into a bowl.

In another bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and honey.  Add vanilla, bourbon, or extract and eggs.   Combine milk and applesauce in a bowl.  Add dry ingredients to sugar/butter mixture and mix thoroughly.  Add milk/applesauce mixture and mix thoroughly.  Mix in apple and raisins.

Place in a small, greased baking dish ( I use a 6×6), and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until a knife poked into the center comes out clean.

Number Day

Fred over at Guns and Coffee reminded me that today is October 22, 10/22.  To commemorate this auspicious day, here’s a pic of mine:

I’ve shown you mine, now you show me yours!

This can’t end well

I’m letting Boo and Girlie Bear play with my Nerf six shot single action revolvers.  I’ve been a target of opportunity several times now.  On the bright side, the cats are getting a much needed workout, and from the squeals coming out of the back of the house, so is Irish Woman.

But here’s the thing that keeps going through my head:

“How can you shoot your poor old father?”
“Easy, you don’t lead him as much!”

Good for him

The owner of a tobacco store in Louisville proved the old adage “Don’t use a gun in a crime.  Your victim might take it away and shoot you with it”.

The jerkoff who tried to rob the smoke shop got a bullet in the leg for his trouble, and is currently in the hospital awaiting his time in the gray bar hotel with a distinct limp.

Excuse me for a little schadenfreude here, but I hope it hurt like a son of a gun.

Props to the Navy

The U.S. Navy announced recently that it is drumming out 64 sailors who were caught using and/or selling a form of synthetic marijuana.  Use of other drugs, such as cocaine and meth, was also found in the investigation. 

Y’all should know by now that I’m a proponent of legalization of at least the milder drugs that are currently verboten in our country.  I think the government needs to butt out of our private lives, let the states regulate what they want and don’t want happening within their borders, and spend the money saved on either cutting budgets or doing something that’s actually productive. 

But that feeling doesn’t involve the military.  Period. Dot.

In the civilian world, for the most part, one day is much like the last and the next.  Most people don’t have an expectation that in the blink of an eye, every part of their world could change from boredom to bedlam with a distinct risk of someone getting maimed or killed.*

Not so with the military, whether they’re deployed or stateside, off-duty or on.  Things happen in the world, and when they do, we have to know that our soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen are ready to go without hesitation.  Yeah, service members drink, but unless you’re blind drunk, you’re not going to get someone killed in the hour or two it takes for you to sober up.  If you’re high, stoned, tripping, or wired you’re going to take much longer with many more after effects that will put your mission and the people who depend on you in danger.

Bad things happen in our world every day with little to no warning for the military:

  • Pearl Harbor
  • The Battle of the Bulge
  • The Tet Offensive
  • USS Cole
  • Khobar Towers
  • 9/11
  • Fort Hood

And the list goes on and on.  What they all have in common is that there was no warning and no way for servicemembers to plan on when they could get high and not impact their unit when tasked to respond to them.

I cannot imagine a sailor on an aircraft carrier underway being high.  How would he respond to a fire or accident on the flight deck?  How would he be able to help in damage control parties?  How could he safely do his job when the inevitable sudden change in work schedule happens?

So, and this hurts a lot for me to say, good for the Navy. 

*Yeah, I know, such an expectation is the bedrock upon which all self-defense thinking lies, but I expect that someone who’s taking responsibility for their own safety isn’t going to eat a hash brownie and concealed carry to the grocery store for Crunch n Munch.