- From the “Bread and Circuses” Department – The White House has announced that it will allow people to post and sign on-line petitions asking for the federal government to do something. My guess is that the petitions will fall into two broad categories: “Bush Sucks” and “I think we ought not to have so much horse s… in the streets”. Either that or Katie Perry will be the next ambassador to Great Britain. Don’t we already elect senators and representatives to do this?
- From the “Taking It to a New Level” Department – A man in Washington DC has been charged with assault after a road rage incident which involved ramming his car into another, beating on the car with his hands and feet, and then throwing live downed power lines at the car in an effort to harm the driver. I’ve been mad, but I’ve never been “Pick up live power lines and try to turn another motorist into a baked potato” mad. Luckily this didn’t turn into one of Weerd’s Gun Deaths.
- From the “Carrots and Potatoes” Department – A lamb was born at New York’s Central Park Zoo just prior to Hurricane Irene striking the city. Zoo staff have named the animal Irene Hope. I would have gone for “Mint Jelly”, “Emergency Rations”, or maybe “Unneeded Distraction”.
- From the “Left Turn Signal” Department – MarketWatch has compiled a list of the top 10 cities in the United States for good drivers. I’ve driven in several of these cities, and my question is “Why do I always seem to get behind the exception that proves the rule?”.
News Roundup
Posted by daddybear71 on September 1, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/09/01/news-roundup-91/
Yeah, that’s not a good idea
The Pima County, Arizona, Republican Party is holding a raffle to raise money. That alone is not unusual. They’re raffling a gun, which isn’t uncommon. They’re raffling a Glock, which makes sense since it’s one of the best selling brands of handguns in the United States.
They’re raffling off a Glock 23. For those paying attention, the Tucson based Pima County Republican Party is raffling off a gun in the same model as the one that was used by a nutjob to shoot up a group of people in Tucson, killing 6 and wounding 13, including Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
OK, I’m socially tone deaf, and I’ve been known to do some really stupid, insensitive things in my life. I once told an old German man that the reason I didn’t trust him was that he trusted Hitler. I got thrown out of a Korean restaurant one drunken weekend because I was trying to throw my voice into my bulgogi and bark. I got my 5 month pregnant wife to be the designated driver when my buddies and I tried to drink a German bierfest dry. Yeah, I can be a real clod.
This one tops all of those and more.
I think fundraisers are a good idea, and I’d gladly buy a raffle ticket for a gun if one was offered to me by the local Republican party, even a Glock.
But guys, they didn’t auction off a Carcano in Dallas as a Christmas fundraiser in 1963. The city fathers of Memphis didn’t hold a barbecue contest to win a Remington rifle in the summer of 1968. The GOP in Tucson shouldn’t be raffling off a Glock 23 while families are still mourning the deaths of their loved ones and some of the casualties of Laughner’s madness are still recovering.
Update – As Sean pointed out in comments, Congresswoman Giffords was shot with a Glock 19, while the gun being raffled off is a Glock 23. My opinion hasn’t really changed on this. I still think it’s kind of tasteless.
Posted by daddybear71 on September 1, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/09/01/yeah-thats-not-a-good-idea/
Not Worth the Paper
A man in Louisville is charged with violating an Emergency Protective Order (EPO) and stabbing his estranged wife and her pregnant daughter after breaking into her home. No details are given about why the order was given to the victim, but since he allegedly tried to gut her and her pregnant daughter like a trout, I’m guessing violent behavior was involved. Apparently the magical incantation against domestic violence contained in the EPO wasn’t done exactly right.
People, if you feel you need to get a protective order in order to keep someone from hurting you, do one of two things: Move into a policeman’s house and never leave their side, or get something a little more tangible than a stern warning from a judge to keep them from killing you. And even if you know a cop who’s willing to let you crash on their couch, get a gun.
Posted by daddybear71 on September 1, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/09/01/not-worth-the-paper/
Merely a coincidence
That is how the White House has described President Obama’s request to address a joint session of Congress at the exact time that the Republican presidential candidates have scheduled their next debate.
Here’s the money quote:
But Carney downplayed the debate as one of many on the political calendar. He said the White House would “carry forward” with its planned speech regardless of “whatever the competing opportunities on television are, whether it’s the wildlife channel or the cooking channel.”
Emphasis mine.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 31, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/08/31/merely-a-coincidence/
News Roundup
- From the “That’s Peculiar” Department – A Marine in North Carolina recently found a training missile from a helicopter gunship in his yard. Two questions: Who wouldn’t notice that a training missile either went missing or impacted outside the training area, and just how cool a customer is this Marine that he figured out it was a training missile before grabbing his wife, kids, and pets and getting outside the blast radius? Then again, I’ve found some strange things in the tall grass when I finally break down and go out to cut the lawn, especially right after the 4th of July.
- From the “What Were You Thinking?” Department – Two police officers in Toronto are coming under fire for handcuffing a 9 year old autistic boy when they were called in to help control him in school. Apparently he was throwing paint and such around, but they were able to get him to lie down and then put the handcuffs on him. No word yet on whether or not they’ll be sent to taser an Alzheimer’s patient who won’t eat his jello.
- From the “That’s What Children Do” Department – Parents of a 4 year old boy in England have been warned that their son will be monitored for noise level when playing outside, and they may be fined if he continues to make too much noise. I’ve raised a whole bunch of kids in my life. I’ve got a 3 year old now. Now of them have been quiet as long as they’re conscious. Someone needs to find out who is complaining about a child enjoying himself outside and making a bit of noise and strap a couple of 1970’s era speakers to their head so they can listen to the noise in beautiful quadrophonic sound.
- From the “Hair Bands Go Way Back” Department – Archeologists believe that ancient Egyptians used a pomade made from plant and animal fat, and the substance may have been used as part of funeral rites to give the deceased the same hair style as they had in life. The image I had run through my mind while I read that was Sha-Na-Na in robes singing “At The Hop” in front of a pyramid. Will archeologists be digging up Bon Jovi and Poison in three thousand years and deciding that we all wore our hair like that? I shudder at the thought.
- From the “New Civility” Department – A Democratic member of Congress from Indiana has compared the Tea Party movement to the forces of Jim Crow. Congressman Andre Carson stated in a speech the other day that “some of them in Congress right now of this tea party movement would love to see you and me … hanging on a tree.” Congressman Carson, I’ve got a news flash for you. We don’t want to see black people lynched. We want to see them getting up in the morning, going to a job, and becoming a net producer for the economy. Since that’s what is expected of me every day, I don’t think it’s racist to expect it of others. Speaking of becoming a net producer, what are your employment plans after the 2012 election?
Posted by daddybear71 on August 31, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/08/31/news-roundup-92/
You still have the right to quit
Over at Fox News, Dr. Manny Alvarez supports the decision by a hospital organization in Michigan to mandate vaccination against seasonal flu by its staff on pain of termination. The argument for this is that people who work at hospitals are at a greater risk for contracting and spreading the flu. The counter-argument is that an employer should respect the rights of employees as to what they inject into their bodies.
Dr. Alvarez makes a good point when he says that a hospital can mandate that a worker must have certain education and credentialing qualifications before being allowed to work, so why shouldn’t they mandate vaccination?
I agree with Dr. Alvarez on this. The flu kills on average about 6000 people in the United States, with thousands more becoming sick. These sick people are going to concentrate at doctor’s offices, emergency rooms, and hospital wards. People who work at these facilities, regardless of their job, are going to be exposed either to the patients or to the things they touch or cough and sneeze on. For their own health, and the health of the people they will come into contact with, they should be immunized against this highly infectious illness.
Yes, the flu shot is not always effective, and yes there will be people who get sick from the shot itself. But the risk of spreading flu in an environment where people are seeking health care is too high. People who have a moral or medical reason to not get the flu shot can get out of it with a note from their doctor or pastor.
The other side of the coin is the rights of the employees. I don’t like it when my employer comes out with yet another mandatory briefing, background screening, training session, or whatever that I have to do in order to stay employed. While my company encourages flu shots and immunization in general, they don’t mandate it. But I’m not working with or around sick people either.
My take on this particular situation is that employees who don’t don’t want to get the flu vaccine and don’t have a religious or medical reason for doing so, can always quit. When you accept employment, even if you have the strongest union contract in the world, you are agreeing to exchange your labor and adherence to policies set by your employer in exchange for money in one form or another. If an aspect of the work or one of those policies offends you, leave. Drop your two weeks notice, start calling business and family contacts looking for your next gig, and polish your resume a bit. Cashing the paycheck means you agree to the employer’s terms and conditions.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 31, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/08/31/you-still-have-the-right-to-quit/
A lawyer is going to need a lawyer
At least a divorce lawyer.
The attorney defending a man accused of exploiting immigrant women in his chain of massage parlors in Chicago was recognized by one of the women involved as being a client. The lawyer admits to having several massage sessions with the lady, but maintains that nothing improper or illegal happened. He also admits to exchanging emails and giving her gifts, so that must have been one heck of a massage.
This guy better hope he’s got the world’s most forgiving wife, or start shopping for a townhouse and get a charge account at Bed Bath and Beyond, the divorced man’s general store. It never ceases to amaze me how cheaply some people will throw away their marriage, half their worldly possessions, and the years it took to build and maintain their family.
The judge has declared a mistrial, and the defendant has said he wants a new lawyer. So now the search begins for a lawyer admitted to the Illinois bar who hasn’t gone to one of the defendants establishments for a rub’n’tug.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 31, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/08/31/a-lawyer-is-going-to-need-a-lawyer/
Sounds good to me
JP over at Eyes Never Closed has proposed that as many people as possible spend time on the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks shooting their guns and eating pork. If he gets pictures of people doing these things, he’ll post them on a website that’s basically a middle finger to murdering cretins wherever they may be.
Since that’s the weekend I have Girlie Bear for September and it’s also Little Bear’s birthday, I think I may take my kids to the range and then have a cookout. Smoked Boston butt sounds really good after a morning out at Knob Creek shooting firearms from Savage, Ruger, and Smith and Wesson, doesn’t it?
Posted by daddybear71 on August 31, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/08/31/sounds-good-to-me/
Quote of the Day
The government that is big enough to give you what you want, is big enough to take anything they can from you. – Newbius
We’re not at the “Jews in the Attic” or “People in Boxcars” point, not yet anyway. But our political parties are starting to act more like Marius and Sulla than they are Washington and Lincoln. How far is it from sending police to raid a business because the owner supports a political opponent to raiding a political meeting to get rid of political opposition?
Posted by daddybear71 on August 31, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/08/31/quote-of-the-day-50/
Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
I’ve been remiss. Julie over at Jigsaw’s Thoughts asked about basic cookie recipes, and I told her I’d put up a couple of my favorites. Life and a bad memory intervened, and I didn’t think to get it done until I was baking cookies for school lunches the other night.
When I make cookies, I prefer to make drop cookies like chocolate chip or oatmeal cookies if I’m in a hurry or if I have to make a large amount of cookies. For special occasions or as a treat I’ll take the time and make peanut butter cookies or snickerdoodles. At Christmas we make things like pinwheels and thumbprint cookies.
So here we go: DaddyBear’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup of your favorite butter, softened (You can wimp out and go with half a cup of shortening and half a cup of butter, but who wants to live forever?)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup of either dark brown sugar or regular brown sugar with 2 tablespoons of molasses added
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
Vanilla or almond extract to taste, probably between 1and 2 teaspoons
2 1/2 to 3 cups of white flour
2 to 3 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips or half chocolate chips and half peanut butter chips
1 to 2 cups of your favorite chopped nuts. I prefer walnuts, but play around with what you like. Macadamia nuts are really good if you want to make something more upscale.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
In a mixer, cream the butter until the color lightens and it starts to rise in volume. Add in the sugars and baking soda, and mix until all lumps are out. Add in eggs and extract. Run the flour through a sifter to remove lumps and add 1/2 cup at a time to the wet mixture until you get a semi-stiff dough, probably at least 2 1/2 cups, but your mileage may vary. Add chips and nuts and mix in just until they are evenly spread through the dough.
Grease a cookie sheet or use a seasoned baking stone. Use either a melon baller or a couple of table spoons to scoop 1 inch balls of dough onto the cookie sheet. The balls should be 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart. They will flatten to about 1/4 inch in diameter during baking, so space accordingly. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the top is turning brown. Remove from oven and let the pan sit for about 3 minutes before removing the cookies with a spatula and placing on cooling rack. Should make between 2 and 3 dozen cookies.
The cookies should still be a bit moist, but not raw. If you want them crispy, give them a few more minutes in the oven but watch that they don’t burn. The extra molasses in the dark brown sugar will give a richer flavor and help to keep the cookies moist and chewy.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 31, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/08/31/chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe/
DaddyBear
DaddyBear’s Den 