Boo stayed home from school today, and he played hard all morning. Irish Woman caught him nodding off with Timmy, the half cat/half Angus beef cow.
News Roundup
- From the “Busy Night” Department – An Ohio legislator has pled guilty to DUI. At the time of his arrest, he was driving under the influence, had a stripper in the car, and had Viagra in his system. Wow, there’s a lot going on there. If you wrote that into a movie script, it would be rejected as being unbelievable. Then again, I had no problem believing it in the news report, so who knows?
- From the “Stupid Is As Stupid Does” Department – A group of college students in Utah were injured when their pastime of dropping Molotov cocktails and fireworks down an abandoned mineshaft literally backfired on them. Apparently it was just fun and games until someone arrived with a metric crap-ton of gasoline and it got spilled down the mineshaft and caught fire. If the word ‘blowtorch’ just ran through your mind, congratulations, you’re right. Several people were badly burned and had to drive themselves down out of the mountains to get some help. Remember people, stupidity and flammable liquids don’t mix. I don’t know how often I’ve had to say that.
- From the “This is Revolution!” Department – A judge in Minnesota refused to help bar and liquor store owners who wanted him to force the state to issue liquor licenses even though the government is shut down due to budget issues. Civilization may not come to a stop if the government isn’t there, but it will come to a screeching, fiery halt if the supply of booze slows to a trickle. No reports of mobs with torches and pitchforks have been provided, but I expect to see them any day.
- From the “Buzz Kill” Department – A Goodwill store in Kansas reports that someone accidentally put some marijuana in with a recent donation. Somewhere in Kansas, a stoner is walking around wondering what happened to his bean bag, his “Dark Side of the Moon” glow-in-the-dark poster, and his stash.
- From the “Have you met my brother-in-law?” Department – Canadian scientists are claiming to have found genetic proof that early homo sapiens interbred with Neandertal populations they found when they walked out of Africa. For those of you who have met me or my kids, this should come as no surprise. I can proudly say that I am the third generation of my family to walk upright, but there are some scars and callouses on my knuckles.
- From the “Are you bloody kidding me?” Department – The National Institutes for Health is under fire over a 2009 report that correlated the size of a gay man’s penis with his preferences in the bedroom. I won’t go into detail here, but government money was used to correlate and publish data over whether a gay man was more likely to be a pitcher or catcher based on some of his attributes. I’m not going to make a witty observance here. I’m in awe of the bad taste, fiscal irresponsibility, and the fact that they actually filled out that grant request.
Posted by daddybear71 on July 19, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/07/19/news-roundup-104/
Today’s Earworm
Posted by daddybear71 on July 19, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/07/19/todays-earworm-125/
Quote of the Day
“Initially, it was like, ‘OK, he’s dead,’ ” McAlister recalled thinking. “Focus on the firefight, getting everybody out of here. When he came back to life, it’s like, ‘Oh, here we go. This just got interesting.’ ” —Sgt. Alan McAlister, USMC
Sgt. McAlister wasn’t talking about something from a Larry Correia book. He was talking about HM2 Jake Emmott, who took a rifle bullet to the side of his nose, which travelled through his sinuses, and ejected near his ear. Did I mention that he was taking care of a wounded Marine when he got hit? After regaining consciousness, he stood up, refused aid, and continued to provide critical first aid to the Marines he was charged to take care of. When it finally came time for him to get on a helicopter, he did it under his own power.
I like to think I’ve got a good work ethic and can take a lot of pain. But to be perfectly honest, I don’t think I’m tough enough to take a rifle bullet to the face, refuse pain meds, continue my job, and walk out of the freaking area.
And to top it all off, HM2 Emmott is trying to finish his rehab and get back into shape so he can pass the Marine physical fitness test and go back to being a combat medic with his Marines. He’s lost half his hearing, the left side of his face is mostly paralyzed but getting better, a good chunk of his skull has been replaced with a plate, and all he wants to do is return to Afghanistan and continue his mission.
As a proud Army veteran, I have to say that this is a story about a Navy medic that should be told to every boy and girl in American schools so they know just how dedicated the men and women who protect them are.
H/T to This Ain’t Hell and Navy Times for the story.
Posted by daddybear71 on July 19, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/07/19/quote-of-the-day-55/
Thought for the Day
Somewhere in Kenya, a village is missing its idiot.
H/T to BoingBoing and MAD Magazine for the image.
H/T to the hippie who was in front of me in traffic today for the bumper sticker that inspired this twist on an old chestnut
Posted by daddybear71 on July 19, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/07/19/thought-for-the-day-85/
Today’s Earworm
Posted by daddybear71 on July 18, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/07/18/todays-earworm-126/
Here’s a hint
When given the opportunity to bone the wife of one of your subordinates, turn 90 degrees, set off at a quick step, and drop into a double time to the nearest exit.
A lieutenant colonel stationed with the Army recruiting group in North Carolina is alleged to have decided to give his personal phone number to a woman who was working for him and incidentally is married to one of the Non-Commissioned officers who work in his recruiting offices. One thing led to another, and soon the good LTC and the army wife were carrying on like a couple of college kids in heat, according to evidence provided by the woman’s husband.
At the same time, the cuckolded NCO, who was showing signs of stress related psychological problems, got busted for DUI, and not for the first time. There are few things that will end your military career as quickly as a DUI, and having more than one is a big “Game Over”. You can get through beating your wife, destroying government equipment, or being a scumbag on duty. But Lord help you if you climb into the driver’s seat after getting lit. No excuses for the good sergeant. He’s a big boy and he’s taking his lumps. The BC took a special interest in SGT Streeter, and began trying to kick him out of the Army while he was sleeping with the man’s wife.
When he found the text messages and pictures his wife had on her phone from his battalion commander, SGT Streeter did the smart thing by going to a forensics company to get all of the data he could off of the phone. He didn’t harm his wife, his commander, or himself, although I can tell you from personal experience that the temptation was there. He sent a copy of his evidence to the Inspector General and another copy to the press. Some will fault him for going to the press, but after seeing a lot of the “rules are for little people” mentality in all parts of the government, including the military, I can’t blame him for putting a bright light on the situation from outside the chain of command.
So now we have an NCO who is still probably going to be booted from the Army, a wife and a husband who have a badly bruised marriage but are trying to patching things up, and a Lieutenant Colonel who is under investigation by the Army and may have thrown away almost $2 million in retirement benefits along with his career over a fling.
All of the accusations against LTC McNair are of course just that, accusations. The investigation continues, but it doesn’t look good for this officer. If he’s found guilty, I hope they throw the book at him. I will end this screed with something that should have rung through his mind when confronted with the temptation to bone the wife of one of his soldiers: (Emphasis is mine)
Officer’s Creed
I will give to the selfless performance of my duty and my mission the best that effort, thought, and dedication can provide.
To this end, I will not only seek continually to improve my knowledge and practice of my profession, but also I will exercise the authority intrusted to me by the President and the Congress with fairness, justice, patience, and restraint, respecting the dignity and human rights of others and devoting myself to the welfare of those placed under my command.
In justifying and fulfilling the trust placed in me, I will conduct my private life as well as my public service so as to be free both from impropriety and the appearance of impropriety, acting with candor and integrity to earn the unquestioning trust of my fellow soldiers–juniors, seniors, and associates–and employing my rank and position not to serve myself but to serve my country and my unit.
By practicing physical and moral courage I will endeavor to inspire these qualities in others by my example.
In all my actions I will put loyalty to the highest moral principles and the United States of America above loyalty to organizations, persons, and my personal interest.
Posted by daddybear71 on July 18, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/07/18/heres-a-hint/
Question
I’m barely old enough to remember the Vietnam War. I remember Walter Cronkite talking about it a couple of times on TV, and my mother made sure I got put in front of the TV when the POW’s came home and the final evacuation of Saigon happened.* I was 4 when the helicopters were pushed off of the decks of aircraft carriers, so it’s mostly just flashes. My father fought in Vietnam, as did most of my friends’ fathers, but there wasn’t a lot of talk about the war where the kids could hear it, if it happened at all.
Now, the U.S. military is holding a small, non-combat, exercise with the Vietnamese armed forces, probably as a way to stick a thumb in the eye of the Chinese.
My question is, for those of you who served in the Vietnam War, how do you all feel about this?
*One of the few things my mother did that I emulate. I’ve watched men walk on the moon, the evacuation of Saigon, POW’s saluting the flag as they got off of a transport plane, and the Watergate hearings. Even though a lot of these are just flashes of memory, especially the moon landings, I have those memories. I have always tried to get my kids in front of the tube when the shuttle takes off or lands, or whenever anything that feels historical is being televised.
Posted by daddybear71 on July 18, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/07/18/question-2/
A Human Right?
A law professor at George Washington University is suing the president of the Catholic University of America over a CUA decision to make their dorms sex-segregated. CUA claims this is being done to cut down on binge drinking and indiscriminate sex in the dorms. The lawyer from GWU claims that same-sex dormitories violate “human rights”.
I’m not going to debate the merits of CUA’s assumptions about separate buildings for the sexes cutting down on drinking and sex. I’ve been in both segregated and mixed-sex living arrangements before, and it wasn’t the sleeping arrangements that kept the young people from mixing, mingling, and pairing off. It was the threat of punishment if you got caught, in both circumstances, that kept things to a dull roar.
Anyway, I’m curious as to which human rights the good professor believes are being violated here. Is it the right of 18 year old boys to have their girlfriends only a couple of doors down? Or for drunken teenagers to only have to crawl a few yards to get to their bed after getting blotto with the guys or girls down the hall? Maybe it’s the right to not have to undergo the ‘walk of shame’ the morning after hooking up?
No-one forces anyone to go to CUA. As long as CUA publishes this policy and enforces it equally to all students, I don’t see a problem. If a young person doesn’t want to go to a school that enforces some kind of conduct standard, then there are many other schools that are a bit more liberal in student living arrangements and behavior. Hey, the school has the word ‘Catholic’ in its name. I’m kind of surprised they had co-ed dorms in the first place. When it has the name of a major denomination right there on the label, I expect more conservative rules for students than I would at the University of California Communal Social Experiment and Educational Cooperative at Berkeley.
And if you ask, you’ll find a certain father in Kentucky is looking for a cloistered all girl school for Girlie Bear. I’m not so old I don’t remember what boys are like between the ages of 18 and 30.
Posted by daddybear71 on July 18, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/07/18/a-human-right/
Silliness, or Don’t You Have Something Better To Do?
In what has become a common occurrence, police in Georgia shut down a lemonade stand run by three girls who were trying to make money to go to a water park. The police say they required several licenses to run such an enterprise, and are working with attorneys to find a compromise that allows the girls to sell their wares.
Really, Barney? Is the crime rate of Midway so low that the local constable has nothing better to do than to harass little girls who are trying to sell lemonade?
Look, they’re not looking to put Coca-Cola out of business with the lemonade recipe that Grandma smuggled out of the old country. I seriously doubt they’ll sell more than a few cups of lemonade to their friends before they give up and go do something else. They’re children, it’s what they do. Things like this are what kids are supposed to do. Run lemonade stands, babysit, mow lawns, wash cars. They’re all ways that younger kids can learn how to make a dollar without begging for it.
This isn’t about public safety. This is about a government functionary knowing the letter of the law chapter and verse and applying it in a way that flexes his authoritah muscle. It may not be the fault of the poor beat cop who had to hassle the young ladies. It could very well be some mindless drone at city hall who is sick and tired of young people learning that if you do something that other people like, they may very well pay you for it. If the bureaucrat who passes out the business licenses saw the lemonade stand, he could very well raise cain and demand the the police put a stop to the nefarious vending of cold lemonade without a license. Heaven forfend these young ladies learn a rudimentary lesson in how much it costs to make a glass of lemonade and how to figure out a meaningful profit from that.
In the area where Little Bear and Girlie Bear’s mother lives, you have to have to pay for a permit to hold a yard sale, and you’re only allowed to hold it on certain days of the month. Now, I can almost see having designated days for such events because of the traffic and parking issues on the city streets. But to make someone pay the city a fee to allow them to spread their unwanted belongings on the front yard on a Saturday morning is asinine.
What’s next? Is the boy down the street going to need a groundskeepers license in order to mow lawns over the summer? Is his sister going to have to get a daycare license in order to babysit a few nights a week? Am I going to need a mechanic’s license to change my oil in my driveway?
The government is not our friend in these circumstances. When an anally retentive jerk decides to apply the rules for large businesses to our children and to our lives, we’ve gone horribly wrong somewhere.
Posted by daddybear71 on July 18, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/07/18/silliness-or-dont-you-have-something-better-to-do/
DaddyBear
DaddyBear’s Den 