Olbermann outs himself

And I didn't think Olbermann would ever say anything with which I could agree...

“Most of us in news are not smart enough to figure out what’s going on. We may pretend that we’re good enough to do that. But in fact, when we look you in the eye, in the camera, we’re really just making it up.” —MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann

This is for Mel

Speaking of Lee, jump over and read This is for Mel.

Very well done, Lee. Very well, indeed.

Hee hee

Getting my fix over at Digital Nicotine where Lee says about the below, "I'm not even Catholic and I find this relevent."
I laughed so hard I hurt myself. Us bitter people do that, you know?

Panem et circenses

I got a haircut late Friday afternoon, and, as barbers are wont to do, my barber was talking about current events. He had much to say about the tax “rebate” that was supposed to start showing up in people’s bank accounts starting today.

His biggest question was, “Where are they going to get all that money?”

My answer was, “Us.” I said, “They’re just giving us back some of what they shouldn’t have taken from us in the first place.”

“No,” he said. “They must just be printing more. Why don’t they take it and just help people who can't pay their mortgage?”

I couldn’t get him to understand that the government doesn’t have any money which it has not confiscated, borrowed, or stolen from us, and I already had a mortgage payment. There were a few other people in the barber shop, and best I could tell, none of them agreed with me.

Panem et circenses.

The good old days...

"We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right so to appropriate a dollar of the public money.” —Davy Crockett

Yes, that Davy Crockett.

"I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that."

From ZDNet.
Holographic storage ships next month!

Ever since astronaut Dave Bowman disconnected the HAL 9000’s holographic memory in 2001: A Space Odyssey techies have been wondering when we could buy real holographic storage. Now we know: May, 2008.

Promising super-high density and excellent media flaw resistance, holographic storage has been an ever-receeding technology for years. You can buy nifty 3D skull and crossbones holograms - technically a form of storage - but no one had figured out how to turn a lab project into a product. Until now.

Deanna Troi to sit on SCOTUS?

“We need somebody who’s got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it’s like to be a young teenage mom, the empathy to understand what it’s like to be poor or African-American or gay or disabled or old—and that’s the criteria by which I’ll be selecting my judges.” —Barack Obama

I'd love to say something about this, but I'm at a complete loss for words.

Waiting anxiously.

Some posts back, I mentioned my Grandmother's 89th birthday. Today, I'm waiting on a call to tell me how she came through orthopedic surgery. She fell a few days ago and broke an arm above the elbow. Being 89, that meant surgery because bones just don't want to heal at that age. The surgery had to be delayed because of the blood thinner wh takes to prevent strokes. I don't really worry much about things I can't affect, but I'm still anxious to get that call. I'm afraid she doesn't have much fight left.

I also mentioned a friend in her 90s in the same post. She fell while making a bed a couple of weeks ago and broke her back. She came through her surgery quite well and has begun her rehab. She has more gumption than ten normal folks combined.

If you're a praying kind of person, my family would appreciate your attention to both these fine ladies, particularly my grandmother.

But I FEEL better!!

Peer reviewed study from the University of Sydney shows 1996 gun ban and expensive gun buy-back had no effect on crime and suicides using firearms.

Now, I know this is a couple of years old, but I was having "reasoned discourse" with a nut and they were arguing that only in the U.S. did "scholars" find pro-gun results. So, I dig this one out from Down Under. And since it's fresh in my mind, I present it for your pleasure.

Hillary talks tough?

In an interview on Good Morning America...

Clinton further displayed tough talk in an interview airing on "Good Morning America" Tuesday. ABC News' Chris Cuomo asked Clinton what she would do if Iran attacked Israel with nuclear weapons.

"I want the Iranians to know that if I'm the president, we will attack Iran," Clinton said. "In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them."

I wonder if she means obliterate like she means she supports the 2nd Amendment. Not to mention the fact that it's a bit late to try to position herself to the right of Obama on national security and foreign policy.

SCOTUS rules for Kentucky execution method

The Supreme Court of the United States ruled yesterday that the 3-drug execution method used in Kentucky is not cruel and unusual punishment. Good. As the old timers say, "Some people just need killin'."

In fact, I think it's cruel and unusual punishment for a death row inmate to sit there for decades awaiting the execution of their death sentence, but I doubt you'll find a death row inmate who will make that particular argument in an appeal. It's difficult for me to believe that appeals can't be handled in 5-7 years. Appeals for death sentence convictions should go to the top of the docket of every court they come before.

If it is in society's best interest to execute these felons, it should be in society's best interest to do it expeditiously.

Yarmuth's Saturday address quoted in Arab Times article

Read it HERE.

The growing cost to the United States of fighting the war in Iraq “is not only linked to our economic skid, but is a leading cause of it,” a Democratic congressman said Saturday. Rep John Yarmuth linked the costly and unpopular war with the growing economic troubles – some say recession – in this country. Yarmuth said in the Democrats’ weekly radio address that the testimony this week of Gen David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker about the Iraq war served as reminder of the billions of dollars being poured into Iraq as the US economy struggles. “General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker failed to offer a plan to change direction in Iraq and redeploy our troops,” Yarmuth said. “Instead, they offered more of the same, with US troops and taxpayers paying the price.”

Spring has sprung in the backyard

(well, from last year's pics, but I'm looking forward to it...)

Toothwort - not sure which one

Chickadee in a Red Dogwood


claytonia virginica

Intestinal Influenza

I have been chosen to host what seems to be several billion invaders to my body. This was not my choice, now or ever, if I may say so.

There was a couple of days of build up, and then... Well, imagine a case of severe food poisoning that lasts for five days. Being married to an RN has kept me out of the hospital, but I'm still not sure that was a good thing.

Blogging will resume, but is a very, very low priority at the moment.