Today’s Earworm
Posted by daddybear71 on August 12, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/08/12/todays-earworm-120/
Quote of the Day
From JayG, who is Stuck In Massachusetts:
The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. And lefty activists.
Jay is referring to the new street in Tehran that is named after an American activist* who learned a tad too late that flesh and blood loses to an earth mover in motion every time.
*activist, moron, Darwin Award winner, whatever.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 12, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/08/12/quote-of-the-day-53/
Have you seen me?
Color – Black
Shape – Arrowhead
Demeanor – Pointy, but a bit unstable
Last seen taking off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. May be somewhere in the Pacific. Can move pretty quickly, so be patient while trying to catch. Might be a bit hot to the touch
If found, please call DARPA immediately. Reward!!!!!
Posted by daddybear71 on August 11, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/08/11/have-you-seen-me/
You all stay classy, now
President Obama flew down to Dover Air Force Base on Tuesday to observe the bodies of our fallen troops from Afghanistan. Due to the wishes of the families, the Pentagon told the press, as well as photographers from the Pentagon, to stay away. Even when asked if pictures that did not include caskets could be fallen, the Pentagon asked them to not attend.
Imagine their surprise when the White House released a picture of President Obama at the ceremony. Now in his defense, the remains of our troops aren’t in the picture. What you see is the president and other people standing in the shadows at the doorway of what I assume is a hangar. The president is attempting to give a hand salute, presumably in honor of the dead.
Now, I’m not criticizing the President for going to Dover. He’s the Commander in Chief of our armed forces, and if he felt it was right and fitting that he personally observe the return of these remains and pay respect to them, good for him. I’ll even give him a pass on his salute. He’s never been to basic training, boot camp, or an ROTC class, so unless he’s smart and asks the Gunnery Sergeant in charge of the White House detail to teach him, he’s figuring it out on his own. If he’s trying to show respect in a way that fits with the object of that respect, good for him.*
My problems start with the existence of the photo in question. I personally don’t have a problem with the press taking tasteful pictures of coffins with flags draped over them as long as the family of the servicemember approves. A war without reminders of the cost quickly becomes nothing more than something mentioned between the sports and weather on the evening news.
But in this case, the families said no. The Pentagon tried very hard to comply with those wishes. They even banished their own photographers from what is a historic event. But apparently the White House either didn’t get the memo or didn’t think that the restrictions for the press and Pentagon applied to their photographer. This either shows a disconnect between our military and our civilian leadership when it comes to this almost holy duty we owe to the fallen, or it shows that the White House feels its needs and wants are above what others feel is right. You make the call.
My next problem is the release of the photo. If the White House decided to override the Pentagon and have a photographer there to record the ceremony for history, then an argument can be made that the photograph itself is OK. But to release the photograph on the White House website and distribute it to the press is beyond the pale for me. There is only one excuse for doing this, and that’s to promote the President. He needs to show he’s the Commander in Chief to convince pro-defense Democrats he’s worth going to the polls, and a picture is worth a thousand words.
A statement from the Press Secretary saying that the President travelled to Dover to observe the ceremony would have been enough, but the White House released a picture that should never have been taken. This was a brazen political move, and the President should be ashamed. If he knew about it, he needs to come out and admit how thoughtless he was. If he didn’t know, he needs to publically fire the twit behind it. If the press and Pentagon weren’t welcome to take and release pictures, then the White House shouldn’t have been able to do so.
The families of these brave servicemembers are grieving the loss of their child, their husband, their father, their brother. They asked that pictures not be taken, and the government is obligated by its own policy and by simple decency to comply. Breaking faith with these families for a calculated political purpose is despicable.
*Personally, my teeth itch a bit when I see someone who’s never served trying to mimic a hand salute. Usually they don’t know how to do it properly and they don’t understand the meaning of what they’re doing. I’ve seen presidents who preferred to just put their hands over their hearts to return a salute or to pay respect, and I think that looks and feels better. Just my opinion.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 11, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/08/11/you-all-stay-classy-now/
News Roundup
- From the “Dead Man Whizzing” Department – An 18 year old man on a flight from Portland to New York got into a bit of trouble when he mistook the leg of a sleeping 11 year old girl for a urinal. The article doesn’t mention whether or not the father of the young lady, who was away using the facilities himself at the time of the incident, will be charged for the ass beating I’m sure he laid upon this drunken bluntskull. Heck, if you’re going to be cleaning up urine, what’s a little blood and soft tissue to wipe off of an armrest?
- From the “This is Your Brain on Drugs” Department – A young man in Illinois skipped out on a cab fare, but left behind his ID and bong. Hey, I’m all for the legalization of pot, but I never said it would make a genius out of you. No word yet on whether or not his father gave him the dopeslap he so richly deserved before sending him down to the police station.
- From the “No-one Wants to See That” Department – A man is suing DHS, TSA, and several airport officials after he was kept at a security checkpoint in handcuffs for 90 minutes after stripping down to the bare minimum during an airport security check. I’ve considered doing the same thing, but decided against it. It tends to mess with the flow of your day when animal control is called out because someone reported seeing a great hairy beast wearing boxers and size 15 hiking boots in the terminal.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 11, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/08/11/news-roundup-99/
An Open Letter
Dear Yuppie Bastard,
I am the person who parked his, as you so succinctly put it, “piece of crap nasty ass minivan” next to your brand new Mercedes sports car this evening at the grocery store. I must say that I disagree with your assessment that I parked right on your door, as I was able to open my door and get in with no issue while you stood on the other side of your German road machine and ran your mouth.
I can understand your frustration. It’s been a rough time economically, and it must be hard to make those monthly payments on your car. I can tell things are a little tight because you couldn’t afford to buy a whole dress for your lovely daughter, who was accompanying you this evening.
You know, now that I think of it, she may not have been your daughter. Oh yes, she looked to be about half your age, but I may have seen a gigantic rock of a diamond ring on one of her fingers, so she may be your latest trophy wife. I couldn’t be sure, as I was distracted by the two cantaloupes that were bolted to her chest and were barely covered by the two or three scraps of cloth she was wearing.
The doctor who did that boob job for her must have been the same one who did your hair plugs, because I’ve seen corn fields that weren’t as neatly lined up in nice regimented ranks and files as the tufts of hair growing on the very top of your head.
I’d like to extend my apologies for putting my minivan within sight of your convertible, and will endeavor to avoid doing so again in the future.
Good luck with your mid-life crisis!
DaddyBear
Posted by daddybear71 on August 11, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/08/11/an-open-letter-7/
He got off light
Warren Jeffs, the sick bastard who abused his position as a religious leader to rape girls as young as 12, has been sentenced to life in prison. He’s going to get a nice long time out to think about what he’s done.
Personally, I would have liked to see him staked out by the tendons in his extremities and left to dry out in the sun after being fed a high sodium diet for a few days. After a few months, his husk could have been tacked up somewhere to act as a reminder to any other piece of crap that wanted to diddle little girls that we don’t cotton to that behavior in these parts.
Yes, I have a beautiful young daughter. Why do you ask?
Posted by daddybear71 on August 10, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/08/10/he-got-off-light/
Cry me a river, Sunshine
The state of Michigan is removing 30,000 college students from its food stamp program in order to save $75 million that could be put to a better use or not spent at all. In a cash strapped state, this makes sense. If a student can show true financial need, such as an inability to work, then they can still be considered for assistance. Otherwise, the little darlings get a chance to live in the real world a bit.
Some students don’t believe that this is fair:
“College students have so much debt as it is in the United States. It’s hard for them to be able to pay all their bills….
Kids these days, I tell you…..
OK, sparky, let’s have an adult conversation here. Put on your skin thickener, because you’re about to be treated like an adult. By the look on your face, I can guess you’ve never had that happen before? Well, do your best.
Ready? OK.
Seriously? You think you’re owed free food at the taxpayer’s expense because you chose to go deep into debt in order to get a piece of paper that certifies that you can parrot back the pablum that your tenured professor shoveled into your brain containment unit for a few years?
Let me make this perfectly clear:
If you are a fully functional human being, meaning that you can be trusted with matches and don’t make messes on the floor, and are 18 years of age or older, then no-one owes you a darn thing. Not your parents and certainly not the taxpayer. Life doesn’t reward you for your best effort, and it certainly doesn’t reward you for just showing up and having a pulse. Get off your butt and find a job.
Got that sweetcakes?
Want to go to college so you can get a good job after graduation? Good for you. The world needs more people like you, and I wish you luck in this economy. The line to fill out applications to flip burgers so you can feed yourself forms to the right.
Want to get a degree in advanced navel gazing and politically correct sophistry so that you can be a leach on the nutsack of society for the rest of your life? Follow the other guy. He’s one ahead of you in the pile of apps to work the midnight to 6 AM shift at the stop and rob.
I got my degree while working full time, and I expect that all of my kids will have to work at least part time in order to support themselves while in college. I provide Junior with a food care package or a gift card to the grocery store every month, but he’s having to earn a bit if he wants to eat more than ramen noodles and tuna fish. The same will go for all of my kids, and it should be the same for all kids. A government that teaches these young people that it’s OK to take money from a program that was supposed to be only for the truly destitute is doing them no favors.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 10, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/08/10/cry-me-a-river-sunshine/
Thought for the Day
When they put together the Super Committee* that’s supposed to find all of the ways we can pull the fiscal policy of our country out of the spin cycle, I hope that they put together their rules so that it’s run in the same way that the question and answer periods in British parliament are run.
“Mr. Senator, what is your justification for wanting to cut funding for research into the mating habits of the Upper Zambezi Poison Death Frog, a study that funds three good paying jobs in my district?”
“Congresman, I want to cut this funding because your mother’s a whore. Got any other bright questions before we adjourn for the day?”
*(which sounds like it should be a political Justice League of America, but I digress)
Posted by daddybear71 on August 10, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/08/10/thought-for-the-day-78/
Chaos in London
Over the weekend, and extending into at least this morning, parts of London and other British cities became war zones after police shot and killed a man who allegedly pointed a gun at them. While reports of actual gunfire between rioters and police are rare, crimes against people and property are rampant. Looting, arson, and assault are happening in what may be the greatest disturbance to hit England since the Blitz of World War II.
We can look across the Atlantic, cluck our tongues, and remark about how much it reminds us of the Los Angeles or Watts riots. But we have to remember a couple of things:
- It can happen here. Reports appear to be that most of the rioters are from a government-supported underclass that is taking the opportunity to vent their spleen and feather their nests with merchendise purloined from businesses just before they are torched. The United States also has a large class of people who feel that the world owes them a living and that they are untouchable. This is not a racial issue, it’s an economic and social issue. For 45 years, people have been given the option of giving up and re-attaching the umbilical cord. This unruly mob-in-reserve has already shown its willingness to shred societal norms when the opportunity arises, and they will do it again. For examples, please consider the LA riots, the looting of non-essentials in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the flash mob crime problem in Chicago, and the recent mob violence at the fair in Milwaukee. When the monthly payments from Uncle Sugar start to dry up as our government starts to find it hard to borrow money, these people will take to the streets to get what they think is coming to them.
- Just because you go to a “safe” country such as Great Britain for vacation doesn’t mean you can drop your guard. There is crime everywhere, and this episode shows that large disturbances can happen just about anywhere you get a large population. You can be in Egypt during the Arab Spring, or you can be in London this past weekend. Location means nothing these days. Matthew over at “Straight Forward in a Crooked World” has a series called “Dark Arts for Good Guys”. He has some good advice on how to stay alive and out of trouble with the local law enforcement, and I suggest you all give it a read. He suggests a lot of things that make sense even if you never leave your home city.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the good people of Britain and the police who are trying to quell the violence and restore order. I also encourage everyone to keep their heads on their swivels so that when this sort of thing happens in this country we are prepared to survive it intact.
Posted by daddybear71 on August 9, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/08/09/chaos-in-london/
DaddyBear
DaddyBear’s Den 