Friday, June 29, 2007

Two Thoughts Today

When there was a vote for a Union about 94 or so, I was our company's shipping & receiving clerk and one of our fork truck drivers came in very upset and called the Material Control Dept. manager in. The UAW was collecting signatures to get a vote to bring themselves into our plant. One employee disconnected the gas line on his fork truck, and several others wouldn't let him off the fork truck until he had signed one of their cards. He signed and they let him go. They said it was unfair when the our company president told them to give the employee the card or the police would be called. Later they were spreading the word that this guy had been intimidated into removing his card by management and he was told by the organizing committee to keep his mouth shut about what really happened or else.

Later they decided I needed to sign one and I refused. I was informed that as soon as the union was in I was out because they wanted only loyal union people in "our plant".

The union lost that vote rather overwhelmingly and curiously enough there were fewer "yes" votes than there were signatures requesting an election. A few years later, due to some idiotic decisions by management, there was another vote, but the union won that one; and was much politer with dissidents than the previous time.

In the voting booth one is totally alone with his own mind, thoughts and beliefs. In the unsigned ballot one tells what they truly believe. Neither the company nor the union (nor the GOP nor the Donks) can intimidate or coerce you. That is why the secret ballot will always be needed.

That's not good enough for the unions. Or the Democratic Party.

They want to make it so that simply signatures will do it and if a majority signs then no vote is needed. Professor Brody's reasons for eliminating the secret ballot are purely bogus and the history he brings up is irrelevant. If the unions could consistently win a secret ballot they would be happy with it, but they lose a lot of elections today. If they could do away with the secret vote they could threaten, intimidate, and coerce workers until they got what they wanted. It DOES happen. I have seen it with my own eyes and experienced it on my own job. They want this because they cannot win without threatening their co-workers. The union leadership wants it so they can terrify workers into the joining their unions. The Democrats want it because a lot of union dollars wind up in their pockets. Organized Crime wants it because a lot of union dollars wind up in their pockets.

I also notice that he complains that "Republican minority" was able to block this which was totally unfair in his mind. Did he feel that the minority blocking a vote was unfair when the Donks were doing it a couple of years ago?

ON A ANOTHER NOTE

Several news organizations say that the Senate defeated the President's immigration plan and that's true as far as it goes, but it fails to note a very important point. The bulk of the opposition came from the GOP while a lot of support came from the Democrats. It was an issue in which there were more Democrats standing with the president than Republicans. If it was a defeat for the GOP, than why are Harry Reid and Ted Kennedy disappointed?

You would never know from the headlines that the body of the article contained this statement:

The death of the compromise also reflected the failure of a strategy hatched by the White House early this year to start with an immigration framework that could command substantial conservative support, and then work with Democrats to push it through. The conservative backing never fully materialized, and the concessions made to obtain it alienated some Democrats and liberal groups

This is an issue that divides both parties and both party's leadership is at odds with the rank and file. This could lead to a re-alignment of American politics in which President Bush, Nancy Pelosi, Madam Hillary, Obama, Harry Reid, Trent Lott and Ted Kennedy would all be losers.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Wizard of Id.

Bad Move On My Part

We have locally been without rain for maybe three weeks, until today. This afternoon we had a couple of real cloudbursts.

A little after 9:00 PM I decide to walk over to the local video rental and return some DVDs and maybe get something else. I step outside and see the sky to North is very dark and some lightning toward the horizon but it's far enough away that no thunder is reaching me. I look West, the direction I will go and watch the clouds in the sky. They are moving Northward and the sky is blue to the South. The rain clouds are definitely moving away from us, so it should be OK. I start that half-mile stroll to the video rental. As I approach I notice something odd. The clouds to the East have changed direction and are now moving South while the clouds to West don't appear to be moving at all.

Hmmm. Wind must have changed. I better hurry.

I go inside and as I am checking out my selection I look out the window and . . .

It's raining again.

Oh boy is it raining. So I stand by the doorway waiting for it to clear up. It does a few minutes later and I head out the door. I get about a third of the way home and all of a sudden it's raining buckets again. (No warning . . . it just suddenly starts again.) So I walk under the awning of an abandoned gas station and wait it out maybe five minutes or just a little bit more.

Hmmm. Maybe I should have drove. (I have always believed that there is nothing wrong with walking a short distance. I am not one of those people who will drive one or two blocks unless I have a heavy load to move.)

I get about three blocks from home and here we go again. This is getting absurd. This time it was about 15 minutes. I stood in the doorway of a closed shop and watched. About five minutes into the downpour everything went dark for a couple of seconds and then the lights came back on. Blackouts look a little different when you're outside watching them happen. During the downpour I saw one thoroughly soaked but determined pedestrian walk by me.

The rain stopped and I looked around. Where I was the sidewalks are about 15 feet wide with a curb that typical for around here, maybe 4 or 5 inches. The street looked like a shallow fast flowing river and it was deep enough that the 4 or 5 feet of sidewalk closest to the street was also underwater. I had to go a couple of blocks out of my way to find a place where I could cross the street without completely soaking my shoes. (In hindsight, maybe I should have taken them off and waded.)

I have been home just over half an hour and it hasn't rained since and streets have drained into the drains and the river.

I think maybe our mild drought has had a not so mild ending.

Update: Next day
Curiously enough, almost exactly the same thing happened to me exactly one year and one day previously. See post. Lone Pony's comment was from that post and I had forgotten about it. Maybe I shouldn't go on walks in late June.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

As Long As It's NOT Tax Funded.

BIG FOOT ALERT!!

Sasquatch spotted in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Oh Brother.

Now researchers want to go look for it.

When I was younger I truly believed that the sasquatch really existed.

Most likely explanation: Hoax, Wishful thinking, Exaggeration, or Misinterpreting what one saw.

Possible: A bear or other animal was poorly seen.

Very Unlikely but still conceivable: A North American species of Primate

Unlikely to the point of inconceivable: A primitive man

If Nessie truly existed in Loch Ness, we'd have found solid evidence by now.

I also remember rumors of Sauropods being seen in the depths of jungles near the Congo River when I was in High School and there was some excitement about the possibility, even a movie called Baby, Secret of the Lost Legend which was about two American biologists discovering a baby Brontosaur in that area. It turned out to be just a local myth.

Sasquatch and Yeti could be normal animals of an ordinary type that have been misreported. Or they could be myths or wishful thinking. I do not expect them to find a Homo something-other-than-sapiens.

Now in all honesty, creatures such as the Giant Panda and the Giant Squid were unconfirmed a century or so ago, but I don't expect to see too many more large animals discovered on earth, except possibly in the depths of the sea.


Saturday, June 23, 2007

A Strike Averted?

It would have been a total disaster for the struggling US automakers. A strike at Delphi would have had a ripple effect that would have first stopped GM, and then gone on to hurt the others that Delphi also does work for.

The problem. Delphi is in Chapter 11.

Part of the solution: A new contract with the UAW.

A major part was the workers taking concessions and their maximum wage is now $18.50 instead of $27.00 an hour (assuming that the contract passes -- and there is a bribe for senior employees -- totaling a little over $100,000 per employee over 3 years if the contract passes.) Admittedly it is a huge cut (practically a third of their hourly wage) but

1) it beats the heck out of losing everything. As I said about when I first started blogging, It's a case of either lose a lot or lose everything. That is never a pretty option but those were the only two options.

2) $18.50, while it is not enough for affluence, is not all that horrible of a wage especially when you include the benefits package.

And now for the management. The workers will do their part; now you do yours. Take a cut in your salary as well. It's good for the company and it's the right thing to do.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Yes We Are The Great Satan

Actually Satan is not so much a name as a title. It comes from the Hebrew word satan (which is pronounced with both "a"s shortened) which means "to accuse" or "to oppose". The being we call Satan has other names such as Lucifer. He is a satan (original Hebrew meaning which would be adversary) to the Church, Israel, and God Himself but in the original meaning of the word it is possible to be a satan in a positive sense as well, when the title means "adversary" and you are an adversary to that which is evil.

So let them call us the "Great Satan" because we are the great adversary of their lies and their ways.

Another blog has some photos of a boys orphanage in Iraq and how happy those boys were when the Great Satan's troops arrived. (Warning: the pictures are shocking -- the orphanage doubled as a brothel).

Great Satan indeed.

UPDATE: 6-21-07
Will wonders never cease? The MSM is talking about it.

OH

and here is why the boys were naked

He claimed, for example, that the caretakers had to take off the orphans' clothes and put them on the cool tiles to cool them down in the hot temperatures because the house had no electricity.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Christianity Being Persecuted

It's not just Israel and Jews that the Muslims hate. They hate both of God's true witnesses (Israel and the Christian Church). Now that they control the Gaza strip, Hamas has started to target Christians. They have informed Christians that they must accept Islamic law. Attacks have already begun.

First off, as a stopped watch is right twice a day and a blind squirrel finds an occasional nut, they have one thing (and ONLY one thing) right:

What we have, unlike the West, is that young women cannot be with men and have relations outside marriage. Sometimes with tens of men. This causes the destruction of the family institution and the fact that many kids come to the world without knowing who are their fathers or who are their mothers. This is not a modern and progressed society," al-Zahar explained.

That one true statement is a truth that is wrapped around the lies of Islam to make it believable and to make the lies of Mohammad harder to perceive. But even God's Word can be twisted into a lie and being right on one issue, that rampant immorality is bad for society, does NOT make them right on anything else. Also we say these things are wrong, but we don't go around killing people who do them and except for a few disobedient radicals, we don't go around destroying things we disapprove of.

Read this from the article:

His comments come after gunmen Sunday attacked Gaza's Latin Church and adjacent Rosary Sisters School, reportedly destroying crosses, bibles, pictures of Jesus and furniture and equipment. The attackers also stole a number of computers.

Jesus said The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy! I come that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10: 18 -21)

Jesus also said If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world the world would love its own, but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember what I said to you! "A servant is not greater than his Master." If they persecuted Me they will also persecute you. If they kept My word they will keep yours also. But these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One Who sent Me. (John 15: 18 -21) Because they have rejected God's Son, they will persecute the true people of God.

Now it is true that some "Christians" have also stolen, killed, and destroyed in Jesus' name but there is a not-so-subtle difference here. When so-called Christians act like that they are being disobedient to the teachings of Jesus, but when Muslims act like that they are obeying the teachings of Mohammad. Fred Phelps, for example, has the heart of a Muslim and though he says he is a Christian, he acts like a Muslim and he will receive a Muslim's reward, and he will not like it.

As Jesus also said, And do not fear those who can kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for an assarion? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father, but the very hairs of your head are numbered. Therefore do not fear for you are of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10: 28 - 31)

Do not fear, for the day will come when Islam, and other things, will fade like a bad dream and be forgotten. On that day God's children will live forever.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Possibly a Good Idea

Healthy habits could change your insurance ratings?

That could be a good idea if done right.

First off, it shouldn't be total pass or fail but on a graduated scale. No normal person lives a 100% healthy lifestyle, while I think I know a few people who do everything wrong. First off there should be small individual benefits for moderate or no drinking, not smoking, or being excessively out of line with your weight and penalties for smoking, heavy drinking, being 25% over your recommended weight etc. (A number of small breaks can add up if you do a lot of things right, and it is easier to be rewarded for doing what you can do rather than doing nothing right because you have to be perfect to get any reward at all.)

Secondly the insured should cover the penalty and receive most of the benefit in their co-pay as a personal reward or penalty.

Third it should be genuine health issues and not the cultural fad or politically correct idea of the moment. It should not reward being a pure vegetarian as that is a cultural and political thing (while eating tons of fatty meats is a problem, lean meat is not that much of one. One's meat eating should be judged by cholesterol levels, not some New Age vegan freak's idea of proper diet.)

Fourth, it needs to be clear that this is a reward for healthy behavior and not a legalistic attempt to force someone to live a certain way. We cannot allow certain elements of our society to be self-righteous about this.

Friday, June 15, 2007

A Comment From "Jihad Watch"

This was posted as a comment on Jihad Watch and reflects my feelings very much.

Here is the opinion of one soccer mom, circulating across cyberspace:

Written by a housewife from New Jersey and sounds like it! This is one upset lady.

"Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001 ? Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan , across the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania ? Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't t hey?

And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was "desecrated" when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet?...Well, I don't. I don't care at all.

I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.

I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi Arabia .

I'll care when these thugs tell the world they is sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called "insurgents" in Iraq come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion b y hiding in mosques.

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs.

I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care.

When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college-hazing incident, rest assured: I don't care.

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank: I don't care.

When I hear that a prisoner, wh o was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed "special" food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being "mishandled," you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts: I don't care.

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled "Koran" and other times "Quran." Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and -you guessed it -I don't care ! ! ! ! !

If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to all your e-mail friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to the people responsible for this ridiculous behavior!

If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete button. Should you choose the latter, then please don't complain when more atrocities committed by radical Muslims happen here in our great country! And may I add:

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." Ronald Reagan

I have another quote that I would like to add AND.......I hope you forward all this

"If we ever forget that we're One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under." also by... Ronald Reagan

One last thought for the day:

In case we find ourselves starting to believe all the anti-American sentiment and negativity, we should remember England 's Prime Minister Tony Blair's words during a recent interview. When asked by one of his Parliament members why he believes so much in America , he said:

"A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at the numbers; how many want in... And how many want out."Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you:

1. Jesus Christ
2. The American G. I.

One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

YOU MIGHT WANT TO PASS THIS ON, AS MANY SEEM TO FORGET BOTH OF THEM. AMEN!

Everything this New Jersey housewife said is common sense and valid.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Ancient History Repeats Itself

Before Israel became a Kingdom they had one persistent enemy.

Philistia.

David and Goliath. Samson and Delilah. Dagon and the Ark of the Covenant. Many of the oldest Old Testament Stories tell of Israel's constant struggles with the Philistines.

Philistia's location: The modern day Gaza strip.

Philistia's main city: Gaza

The ancient root of the word Palestine: Philistia

Israel's biggest threat at the moment: Modern day Philistines (Palestinians).

History is repeating itself.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Another Reason to Avoid Chinese Goods

I am not a fanatic when it comes to avoiding exports, though I will usually give the nod to the "Made in USA" or "Made in America" sticker when I can.

However I do avoid, as much as humanly possible, Chinese goods. Due to their ubiquitous nature it is almost impossible to never buy Chinese, but I do avoid it as much as possible. (Sad to say, there are some items that appear to be almost exclusively made in China.)

This has nothing to do with American jobs being exported over seas and everything to do with the fact that I do not trust the Chinese government. There are elements in the Chinese government who believe that a war with America is inevitable and this faction is not without power. When I buy a Chinese product I support a hostile war machine. (I am attempting, so far without luck, to find out which gas companies import the biggest percentage of their oil from Alberta for a similar reason - - to avoid buying Arab or Venezuelan oil.)

There is another good reason to avoid their products. They are not only inexpensive but they are CHEAP, as in poorly made. Some of them are so poorly made that they are just plain dangerous. WorldNetDaily has an interesting story on this, though I wish they would document it and include a few outside links. The Consumer's Reports page can be used but it is time consuming, unless you know precisely which product you are looking for. Chinese products, apart from their prices, generally do not do well here.

Gayle, the "Dragon Lady" has a similar post at her blog.

Monday, June 11, 2007

Is Death a Deterrent?

I do not like, but reluctantly support the death penalty. I do not like it because it goes against my grain, but I support it because there are crimes for which no other penalty is justice and it can be effective.

Now a study is suggesting that every execution might save lives.

What gets little notice, however, is a series of academic studies over the last half-dozen years that claim to settle a once hotly debated argument — whether the death penalty acts as a deterrent to murder. The analyses (sic) say yes. They count between three and 18 lives that would be saved by the execution of each convicted killer.

I would like to know how they came up with this number. "Between three and 18" sounds like 3d6 in the old AD&D terminology. (For those who don't know it means three six-sided dice.) I have to admit that it is suspect to me and I would need to see how they came up with it.

My biggest concern is the possibility of executing an innocent person, which has happened before. When an execution is done it is done; you can't say "Oops!" and bring them back. Of course with DNA testing etc. it is becoming less likely but there is still a real chance of it.

Yesterday I was talking to my parents' neighbor who is a disillusioned peacenik from the Vietnam era and he has since totally reversed his views. We discussed this very topic and he told me that he once considered killing a human for any reason as a violation of the sanctity of human life, but now he understands that intentionally killing an innocent person is such a violation of that sanctity, that there are times when only the death penalty is adequate. Stunned me to hear this come out of the mouth of an old anti-war liberal. Sometimes they do grow up.

Whether as a deterrent against killing or simply because justice demands it, sometimes we do need to execute. We shouldn't like it and it should bother us deeply, but still we must recognize that sometimes justice demands it.

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Seeing One Caught

I was at a nearby variety store today picking up a bottle of diet Coke and yakking with the cashier when a woman about 10 years older than me left the store followed by the store manager and another employee. They confronted her outside the store and there was a brief shouting match and a few minutes later they came back, minus the woman.

She had been shoplifting and was caught. Now what struck me as odd is not that someone was stealing; I am sure it happens a lot, but what she was stealing.

She was not arrested but she was banned from that store. She was stealing a couple packets of cheap stickers, no more than a couple of dollars worth and no of real value to anyone. I guess the old theory of "if you're going to go to jail make it worthwhile" does not always apply. I would expect that kind of theft from a kid on a dare, but from an adult?

I have known one woman who was a kleptomaniac, and she is a wonderful person whom I would trust with my life and well-being, but at times you have to watch your possessions around her, especially if she and her husband are fighting. I was also once acquainted with a very young woman a number of years ago who had a serious case of multiple personalities, and one of her personalities was a habitual thief. (They ultimately had to institutionalize her until they could find a way to control her multiple personalities.)

Like these two women, the woman I saw being confronted probably had no need for what she stole, and I wonder why she did it.

Thursday, June 07, 2007

Silly Posts

Why do I do silly posts from time to time.

The reason is simple.

Sometimes things out there are depressing, and the blogosphere can become can become a disheartening place at times.

Then a little levity is needed.

Hence the occasional, or not so occasional, silly or irrelevant post.

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Could We Lose a State?

There are those in Vermont who are pushing for independence from the "American Empire".

If the vast majority of Vermonters wishes to go their own way that is their right (but I doubt that it is a majority).

However as I read their manifesto I am stunned.

Radical Nonviolence and the Power of Powerlessness

Thomas H. Naylor
  1. Human killing is an act of nihilism.
  2. Violence begets more violence, not the other way around.
  3. By whose authority other than the law of the jungle do those who kill or sanction killing set themselves up as prosecutor, judge, and executioner?
  4. War is the ultimate form of having—owning, possessing, controlling, manipulating, and killing.
  5. Just as active participation in the death of a human being is an expression of life’s meaninglessness, so too is the passive approval of state-sponsored executions, wars, and military combat.
  6. Wars and executions in the name of the state occur when our sense of community gives way to our pagan lust for revenge—a lust firmly grounded in nihilism.
  7. Might doesn’t make right.
  8. There is no such thing as a just war.
  9. Wars are about money, power, wealth, size, and greed.
  10. Wars are fought not to achieve social justice, but to serve the interests of political elites pretending to be patriots, who demonize their alleged enemies so as to manipulate their minions into sacrificing their lives for false ideals.
  11. Those who fight in wars are either conscripted to do so or duped into doing so by people of the lie.
  12. Nations which amass military might always find a way to use it.
  13. The risk of war increases in direct proportion to the military power of the state.
  14. Wars cover up a plethora of political and economic problems by deflecting public attention away from the real issues.
  15. Make love, not war—share power and reduce tension.
  16. Nonviolence is a proactive approach to conflict resolution that goes straight to the heart and soul of power relationships and demands strength, courage, and discipline, not just idle pacifism.
  17. Radical nonviolence can undermine power and authority by withdrawing the approval, moral support, and cooperation of those who have been dealt an injustice. It derives its strength from the energy buildup and very real power of powerlessness.
  18. Effective nonviolence must be thoroughly grounded in the will to win. It involves repeated confrontation, bobbing and weaving, engagement, and eventually complex negotiations.
  19. Nonviolent rebellion involves denunciation, disengagement, demystification, and defiance.
  20. Rebellion provides us with the faith to create meaning out of meaninglessness, the energy to connect with those from whom we are separated, the power to surmount powerlessness, and the courage to confront death.

Rebél Thomas H. Naylor March 28, 2007

I suppose that once they . . . umm . . . gain their independence (assuming they do) will they elect Barney the Purple Dinosaur as their president?

This is most juvenile worldview I have ever seen. Except for the terminology, this sounds like the platform of a first-grader running for president. If we are nice to everyone, they will be nice to us. It is crystal clear that the grown-ups are not in charge of this operation.

The whole thing kind of flies back to Thomas Sowell's latest column where he says.

To a small child, the reason he cannot do many things that he would like to do is that his parents won’t let him. Many years later, maturity brings an understanding that there are underlying reasons for doing or not doing many things, and that his parents were essentially conduits for those reasons.

The truly dangerous period in life is the time when the child has learned the limits of his parents’ control, and how to circumvent their control, but has not yet understood or accepted the underlying reasons for doing and not doing things. This adolescent period is one that some people — intellectuals especially — never outgrow


It's clear that some "intellectuals" in Vermont need to grow up. Far too many of America's problems come from people who are listening to people like him. The world really is a dangerous place full of people who want to kill us because we are not like them.

Somewhere today, I forget where, I read an interesting thought. It was words to this effect: Modern liberal pacifism is the gentleness and mercy of Christ without the wisdom of Christ. I think that pretty well sums it up.

Hope Turns To Tragedy

A transplant of any organ is a miracle, but there is a shortage of organs and people die waiting for the right one. A set of lungs was headed to the Medical Center at the University of Michigan to go into a recipient that was already being prepped to receive the transplant. The plane left Wisconsin with the crew and organs while the patient was prepped, which included opening him up to hurry the operation as much as possible.

The plane with the organs and transplant crew went down in Lake Michigan.

These people died trying to save one life. May they find God's mercy.

No one knows what the next hour, let alone the next day or year will bring. Lives were lost and hope was dashed, but not lost.

"It's our mission to go forward. I'm confident these wonderful individuals would want us to go forward. People with tears in their eyes are delivering the highest quality of care in this nation right as we speak," Kelch said.

That is the spirit to have in such times. May we all have that attitude when disaster and tragedy strike, as it will from time to time.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Courts Do It Again

Partial Birth Abortion is simply murder of a child being born.

Michigan recently outlawed it but our dear friends at the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati ruled that it placed undo burden on a woman seeking an abortion.

Roe vs Wade, in my opinion, was wrongly decided. The Supreme Court decided what they wanted the Constitution to say rather than what it actually does say. The Constitution never mentions abortion or any related issue and therefore, according to the 10th Amendment, the individual state is totally sovereign on that issue. The Supreme Court arrogantly usurped the authority and sovereign rights of the individual state by deciding that the right to choose an abortion should exist so it does exit, completely ignoring the text of the Constitution.

Of course if we went back to the text of the Constitution, it would gut large portions of the Federal Government, but I don't think that would be a bad thing in the long run. It would be very painful in the short run, but beneficial in the long run.

I Thought I'd Be Linus

After all, he is the Peanuts character I most identify with, but I guess not.







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Monday, June 04, 2007

Running for a Darwin Award

A Michigan man dispatched himself with an act of spectacular stupidity that should put him in the running for a Darwin award.

I cannot believe anyone would do something this stupid and people who would do it should not be allowed outside without adult supervision.

And then a few blocks away another man tries the same thing but falls and injures himself before he can kill himself.

Is there something in the water in Detroit?

I knew copper was valuable right now but good grief.

Saturday, June 02, 2007

What a Day!

Yesterday was a day I wish would have gone differently.

Started out good. I have been struggling a little financially because of difficulties my employer is having, though I am not in serious trouble at the moment, so I got some money from my 401K to settle some bills and get a little ahead before the Summer lay off (a fact of life for auto-workers).

The check arrived yesterday and I deposited it in the bank and tried to fast-clear it so I could have immediate access to the funds. The bank teller was wonderful and quite helpful, but my 401K provider. . .

Bureaucracy: the curse of modern society.

When I was a store manager my district manager gave me a book, whose title and writer I have forgotten, on how to survive and thrive in a big corporation. The book was partly just quotes and sayings including the following gems that I remember

Nothing can outwait a bureaucracy.

The larger the organization the more ridiculous the procedures

Never get caught between two bureaucracies.

No flow chart can adequately describe the run-around.


Oh well. At least the bank teller really tried.

Several people complimented me on my patience and understanding, but beneath my calm exterior I was boiling. I was not a happy camper yesterday.