Hallelujah,Not Really

Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah has been stuck in my head for a week or so now. I first ran into it early this month while exploring Il Divo videos. At that time I tried to find out more about the song and the lyrics but my Google-fu was weak. As I recall I did not know who had written it at the time.

A week or so ago a video of Leonard Cohen himself singing it showed up on a blog I read. The staging and presentation is funky to say the least, Hollywood Squares is so 70's, but this time I was able to find out much more, including a wide variety of cover versions of the song.

First is the scene from "Shrek" by which most people have likely heard it. Rufus Wainwright does a good job on the song.

I've found 2 versions online of Leonard Cohen singing his own song. The second version uses different verses from the first. I find both of them too dark and monotonic for my taste.

Many people seem to like this Jeff Buckley version. Personally I find it too minimalist. This song is about powerful emotions and Jeff's version is IMNSHO just too thin.

Speaking of thin, or should I say flat, Bon Jovi's rendition is just that, painfully so. Want more pain? Check out Sheryl Crow's version. Sadly Bob Dylan's cover is equally painful. He should be able to do this song well, but doesn't. And then there is John Cale; my ears, please, get a voice before singing. I could not make it all the way through any one of these.

Moving up the ladder we have Allison Crowe's version. Well done with a good voice and decent piano work, but still a bit bland. Damien Rice does a decent job of it too.

I have no clue who these guys are, but their almost a-cappella version in the round works: Even "froggy's" verse. The androgynous K.D. Lang begins to do this song justice, I just wish he/she would sing it as either a guy or a gal.

One of the better renditions is this one by Alexandra Burke from the 2008 X-Factor. Some people apparently consider it overdone, but the power of the song actually works with a larger arrangement and performance. And speaking of power and performance we get all the way back to Il Divo's version; still the best I think even if I cannot understand the words.

So why this song? The music is simple and evocative. The lyrics, with 2 or 3 quirks, are well crafted and fit the music well; they actually sound like they mean something. In today's music world that stands out.

What it is not is religious or praise to God. Even though it uses Biblical imagery and is based on a word that means "praise God" it is not about God. If you actually ready the lyrics you will find the song has little to do with God. In reality the words are very cryptic and don't seem to mean much at all as a whole. Leonard Cohen himself is reported to have said that the song is about "All hallelujahs have meaning": What the heck does that really mean?

I've come to the conclusion that Hallelujah is really a mood piece attempting to convey or invoke powerful emotion. In some ways it is the pop music equivalent to classical Impressionist music. One could ask "Which emotion?" As I see it that is really up to the performer. The lyrics don't consistently point to one. The use of "hallelujah" and Biblical imagery in the early verses could point to praise or worship, but the rest of the verses do not support this. Most singers use love or lust, but even there the words are quite ambiguous. In the end this song is a celebration of powerful emotion, regardless the emotion. Intellectually that's not very satisfying, but it does make for a powerful song.

p.s. I'm still looking for further adaptations of this song. I'm curious how it would sound as punk, metal, or hard rock. Please tell if you've come across such renditions.

Northern News

We don't do Christmas, but this one is funny:

Is That All???

Here reportedly is the full text of the Blagojevich Report to the President Elect. Go ahead and read it, it won't take you long. It contains no bombshells, no startling revelations, no smoking guns, no real contradictions with most of what has been said before. Many are saying that it shows no wrong-doing on the part of Obama or his staff; case closed.

Not so fast.

What struck me is what this report does not contain. If one of my people brought me such a document my response would be "Nice summary. Where's the rest? Where is the analysis of what evidence that might exist? Where is the listing of materials requested, from whom, when and when they were received, or not? Where is the accounting of the evidence that was actually reviewed? Where is the analysis of the consistency of that evidence? Where are the transcripts of the emails and phone calls examined, the transcripts of the interviews conducted?" I would expect that an actual report on this incident should be dozens of pages long, with appendices of supporting material. This does not cut it.

Thus this report actually proves nothing. It asserts that no wrong-doing took place, but presents no actual evidence presented to support its assertions. It's a great press release. A report? Not even close. FAIL! Try again!

LOL

Weather Channel Accused of Pro-Weather Bias

Thanks Gov. P.

Took the morning off to get my license renewed. Silly me. Due to the expected 7-12 inches of snow this afternoon and the resulting end-of-the world-as-we-know-it our lovely governor gave everyone the whole day off, hence the RMV is closed. Snow is not supposed to start until after noon. What's the problem with working a half day? It's what I would have done had I known that Cadillac Patrick was going to be so "generous". Arrgghhhhh

U.S. House of Lords

Is what our Senate seems to be becoming with the expected appointment of dilettante Caroline Kennedy to replace carpetbagger Hillary Clinton as NY senator. Here's a telling quote from this NY Times article:

Her uncle, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, is struggling with terminal brain cancer, and his illness has forced members of his extended family to contemplate the possibility that the Senate could be left without a Kennedy for the first time in a half century.

Horror upon horrors, no member of the Kennedy family in the Senator. So what!! No family is in any way entitled to any seat in any part of our government. To imply such is completely antithetical to the fundamental principles this country was founded upon over 200 years ago.

Sad to say this is not the only harbinger of the political stratification of this country. One only needs to look at the hysterical antics of Pelosi and her minions in the House and the near-regal treatment of the current president-elect through and after the election to see some parallels to the British House of Commons and Monarchy. I do hope we don't end up with our own King George the III.

The Ice Man Cometh

We survived the Great Ice Storm of 08. We lost power at 1:07am Friday morning; it returned at 3:15pm Sunday (62 hours). The phone was up the whole time. Cable/internet was down until sometime today (Monday).

Heating was a combination of wood-fired cook-stove and a generator. It got cool (57-59) overnight Friday and Saturday but we got it back up to mid 60's by mid-afternoon.

I got the generator running Friday afternoon, but it was not running smoothly until Saturday due to fuel contamination issues. First item on prep list for next time is to have more gas on hand. Second item on prep list is to finish installation of transfer switch so freezers, a fridge, and some lights can be easily run on the generator.

Not having the generator up and running well until Saturday put us behind in keeping the 3 freezers and 2 refrigerators cold enough. In the end we gave up on the fridges and put the cool items outside. We also gave up on 2 of 3 freezers and moved much of the frozen food outside too. Sunday morning we got the second freezer online. Contents of the third freezer was split between the 2 operating freezers, outside and a friend who got power back on Saturday. In the end we did not lose any food. Next time we need to stay ahead of this. Once a freezer starts warming up getting it back down to temp on a generator is tough. Need to consider replacing upright freezer with chest freezer; more space and better cold retention.

Most meals were cooked on the cook-stove although the menu was limited; I don't think we'll be seeing turkey soup for a while. Third item on prep list is to finish propane-fired grill for added cooking options.

We lost many large tree limbs and some trees. Much clean-up to do in coming weeks. Need to get gas-powered chain saw; the current electric one only goes so far.

Sorry Virginia, There is no god (at least in partisan politics)

The Di-hypocrites have "fixed" it for Hillary:

Congress late Wednesday lowered the salary for the nation's top diplomat to keep Clinton's nomination from running afoul of the Constitution.

Worth noting is the record of the bill:

S.J.RES.46
Title: A joint resolution ensuring that the compensation and other emoluments ...
12/10/2008 Passed/agreed to in Senate: Introduced in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
12/10/2008 Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed without objection.

Paging Senator Byrd. Has anyone seen Senator Byrd?

Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), the only one of them who remains in the Senate, said at the time that the Constitution was explicit and "we should not delude the American people into thinking a way can be found around the constitutional obstacle."

Color Me Aporetic

Obama: Don't stock up on guns

As gun sales shoot up around the country, President-elect Barack Obama said Sunday that gun-owning Americans do not need to rush out and stock up before he is sworn in next month.

Why not? We are helping to stimulate the economy. Is that not what you want, or is buying guns and ammo somehow contrary to your agenda?

"I believe in more common-sense gun safety laws,

And you've never seen a gun control law that you didn't like and support

and I believe in the second amendment,"

Which amendment is that? The one that allows for hunting and sporting rifles and shotguns? The one that allows for home defense? Or the one that allows for all lawful purposes?

Obama said at a news conference. "Lawful gun owners have nothing to fear. I said that throughout the campaign. I haven't indicated anything different during the transition. I think people can take me at my word."

Color me aporetic. Plainly state that you will not sign any additional gun-related laws unless they reduce the burden on lawful gun owners and maybe we'll consider what you say. Flat out promise to never reinstate an assault weapons ban or restrict private gun sales and we might even believe you. Then explain why you have changed your mind from your past actions and statements and we might even support you. Until then expect further economic stimulation and quit your whining about it.

A Year Later

I still miss my mother who passed away a year ago today. The good-bye process was a lengthy one as she had been in failing health for several years prior to her passing. Still, the grieving process takes time, and I will always miss her even though I know she is in a better place.

I came across 2 videos a week or so ago that moved me and I'd like to put them out as a tribute to my mother. I've already shared them with my brother, so I apologize bro' if this makes you cry at work (again), but I think others might find them touching too:

Thank you Mama:


Amazing Grace was one of her favorite hymns and I think she would have loved this rendition:


p.s. It's good my brother that I have a private cubicle from which I write this.

Why Women Hate To Ride With Men

Found via Two-Four from the Daily Telegraph:

Read the commentary with the Daily Telegraph article. It explains much.

Is There a God?

Hillary Clinton's Fix

Even if the vetting problems involving former president Bill Clinton's finances can be resolved, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton may face another roadblock on her way to the secretary of state's chair.

It's called the Constitution of the United States, specifically, Article One, Section Six, also known as the emoluments clause. ("Emoluments" means things like salaries.) It says that no member of Congress, during the term for which he was elected, shall be named to any office "the emoluments whereof shall have been increased during his term." This applies, we're advised, whether the member actually voted on the raises or not.

In Clinton's case, during her current term in the Senate, which began in January 2007, cabinet salaries were increased from $186,600 to $191,300. This situation has arisen before, most famously in the case called "The Saxbe Fix," but it involves a controversial, somewhat tortured reading of the Sacred Document.

That "fix" came in 1973, when President Nixon nominated Ohio Sen. William Saxbe (R) to be attorney general after the famed "Saturday Night Massacre" during the Watergate scandal. Saxbe was in the Senate in 1969 when the AG's pay was raised.

Congress acceded to Nixon's request to lower the attorney general's salary to its pre-1969 level. Apparently this had been done once before, in 1909, for a senator in line to be secretary of state. And President George H.W. Bush, as he was leaving office, approved a Saxbe fix so that Treasury Secretary Lloyded Bentsen could move from the Senate to take that job.

But Democrats in the past have inveighed against this sleight-of-hand. In the Saxbe case, 10 senators, all Democrats, voted against the ploy on constitutional grounds. Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), the only one of them who remains in the Senate, said at the time that the Constitution was explicit and "we should not delude the American people into thinking a way can be found around the constitutional obstacle."

Call it the Hillary Amendment?

One can hope.

Thank You Mr. President

Thank you Mr. President from Steven Curtis Chapman:

Whether you voted for him & love him, or you’ve disagreed with all his policies and dislike him... Could we all agree on this? We owe President Bush a sincere thank you. As the historic Inauguration of President Elect Barack Obama approaches, StevenCurtisChapman.com pauses to thank our outgoing President for his service to our great country. This Thanksgiving weekend, we hope you’ll enjoy a new song by Steven written in President Bush’s honor.

Agreed!

Turkey Day Humor

ROFLSHMSH hilarious!

WKRP in Cincinnati: Thanksgiving Turkey Bomb! @ Yahoo! Video

found via Aubreyturner.org.

UPDATE: Here's the opening scene and an extended version of the "finale" complete with Mr. Carlson's classic closing line.

Critical Mass of Political Correctness

Reports of politically correct stupidity have reached the critical mass whereby I am compelled to blog upon them:

A week old, but still good: Conservative silenced on election night in Philly

The incident in question happened during an election night party in Philadelphia for Barack Obama, when a young man showed up wearing a McCain-Palin T-shirt. A video shows he was roughed up a bit, handcuffed, and jailed. Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel says there is a constitutional right to freedom of expression that this man was denied.

No kidding. But the Obamatrons don't care about freedom of speech, or precious little else in the old piece of paper our country was founded upon.

Next a case of egregious legal system abuse by one of the "protected classes" who have made this kind of behavior a hallmark: Suit forces eHarmony to offer gay dating service

The settlement was the result of a discrimination complaint filed by Eric McKinley against eHarmony in 2005, which will be dismissed under the settlement agreement.

Once society starts down the path of socialism the concept of private companies goes out the window.

Speaking of that "protected class" here is another example of hallmark behavior: 'Gay' activists engage in 'hate crimes' against Christians

Dr. Gary Cass of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission (CADC) is calling on law enforcement to provide protection in light of recent assaults on the Christian community. A Michigan church called Mount Hope was recently attacked by a self-titled homosexual anarchist group called Bash Back.

Homosexual activists, according to Cass, have made it a regular practice to protest outside of California's churches, and he contends something should be done about it. "We're calling for the police to protect people of faith for standing for traditional values," he says.

Still waiting for the headlines about radical alternative sexual lifestyle activists arrested for hate crimes [cue crickets]

On to the topic of community standards, or shall I say the destruction of them by legal means: 'Dirty dancing' ban holds, town pays thousands

A small North Carolina town is caving in to the American Civil Liberties Union over an eight-year-old case of "dirty dancing."

The incident in Marshall occurred at a community facility where a micro-mini-skirted Rebecca Willis, who was 56 at the time, was gyrating on the dance floor simulating intimate acts with a dance partner. According to Associated Press, the woman's dress was so short that it exposed her under-clothing -- but Willis prefers to label her style of dancing as "exuberant and flamboyant," not obscene.

Evidently, however, clientele at the Marshall Depot disagreed, and Willis was told to stay away from the refurbished train station that serves as a community center. She brought a lawsuit, and now the city has agreed to pay $275,000 to settle the suit. AP says the town strongly opposes lifting the ban on Willis.

Thank you for not having pictures. Some people need to grow up, even if they are 56.

And finally to the truly unfathomable: NYC Churches Ordered Not To Shelter Homeless

City officials have ordered 22 New York churches to stop providing beds to homeless people.

With temperatures well below freezing early Saturday, the churches must obey a city rule requiring faith-based shelters to be open at least five days a week -- or not at all

Why such a rule? It makes no sense to me, unless there is some reason the city officials feel must control where the homeless sleep. This smacks of fascism or socialism to me, not surprising for NYC.

"We really don't want people sleeping on the streets, on grates, on church steps. We want people sleeping in [our] beds," said Homeless Commissioner Robert Hess.

IMNSHO society is in trouble on many fronts.

Miscellanea

Work busy.
Blogging light.
Newest toy:
Reactive target?*

*Please note this post is NOT intended in any way, shape or form to be a threat to our current President-elect. It is merely an observation that certain inanimate circular ceramic items might be put to interesting uses.

President-Elect's Religious Persuasion

I read through this interview with Barack Obama regarding his beliefs with quite some interest (found via Kuo & Joe).

The bottom line for me is that even though he self-identifies as a Christian, his beliefs IMNSHO do not line up with many core beliefs of either traditional or evangelical Christianity: His definition of "sin" and view of Jesus make that quite clear.

To me he comes across as individualistic moral humanist. His moral underpinnings are based on vaguely-Judeo-Christian pantheistic deism, and he appears to have some favor for emotionalism in religious expression, but fundamentally he looks into himself as the center of belief. Maybe such belief is more in line with post-modern "Christianity", but it is not what I consider to be even minimally Christian (e.g., an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent triune God; active in this world; sin as being contrary to God's will; salvation from sin through death and resurrection of Jesus).

I also find it interesting that such an interview is done after the election, and even more so that he is pretty explicit about why. We are in for a long 4 years (at least).

---

UPDATE (11/14/2008): Following some comments on the original article over at Kuo&Joe I tracked down this article in Christianity Today. In it (page 2) he sounds much closer to a traditional Christian, at least of the social gospel flavor:

I am a Christian, and I am a devout Christian. I believe in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe that that faith gives me a path to be cleansed of sin and have eternal life. But most importantly, I believe in the example that Jesus set by feeding the hungry and healing the sick and always prioritizing the least of these over the powerful. I didn't 'fall out in church' as they say, but there was a very strong awakening in me of the importance of these issues in my life. I didn't want to walk alone on this journey. Accepting Jesus Christ in my life has been a powerful guide for my conduct and my values and my ideals.

In the end I am left confused as to where he really stands. Reconciling these two interviews is possible, but IMNSHO requires some serious intellectual gymnastics, which may or may not end up at a Christian belief depending upon the tack taken. Is he trying to be obtuse? If so why? Does he really see the apparent dichotomy in these statements? Or is he just saying what he thinks each particular audience wants to hear? Read and form your own opinions. I'm still working on mine, although it's leaning towards the last question.

Hope and Change

Chris Tomlin's "Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)" struck a chord this evening on the way home. Here are the lyrics, with my thoughts:

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains
Unending love, Amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

Here is true hope. Not that of the political nature, but true, enduring, life-changing hope.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, Who called me here below
Will be forever mine
Will be forever mine
You are forever mine

There will be change, for that is what this world is about. But God is forever certain and He is our anchor in the midst of change.

God Bless

RIP: USA as We Know It

The Marxist One wins. To paraphrase what I have read elsewhere, on November 4th 53% voted to take money from the other 46% and redistribute that wealth to themselves.

Good One

From The Smallest Minority:

Hallowen III

Bigger and bigger government at best, brown-shirts at worst.

Clueless II

"I never thought this day would happen. I won’t have to worry on puttin’ gas in my car. I won’t have to worry at payin’ my mortgage...He's gonna help me."

News Juxtaposition

In todays news

Journalists from three major newspapers that endorsed John McCain -- the Washington Times, the New York Post and the Dallas Morning News -- have been booted from Barack Obama's campaign plane for the final leg of the presidential race.

and

A Delta baggage worker got a bit of a fright before Halloween when she opened a jetliner's cargo door and found a cheetah running loose amid the luggage

Might there be some form of connection? Inquiring minds want to know.

Maybe Not the Manchurian Candidate

I blogged about this issue last week, but in response to some discussions at an online board I continued to look for information about this whole issue. Eventually I found this site, What's Your Evidence?', which has a great deal of information apparently debunking Berg's claims regarding Obama's citizenship.

After reading this page, and the referenced documents here and here, I've come to the conclusion that the claim that Obama lost his citizenship when his mother remarried and moved to Indonesia is almost certainly false.

The one question remaining is whether he was really born in Hawaii. If he was born in Kenya, then he may not be a natural born citizen. However, the site referenced above accepts the proffered birth certificate as valid and says there is no real credible evidence to support claims that Obama was born in Kenya.

The more I read and look into things the more I think the Barry is a natural born citizen. Part of me wishes I was wrong, but it probably doesn't matter anyway. Any contrary evidence, if it did exist, is long gone and at this point the electorate does not care.

Obama is still not getting my vote. Whether you put "American", "Kenyan" or "Indonesian" in front of it he's still a "liberal socialist".

p.s. It should be noted that "What's Your Evidence?" is just an Internet site. It may be biased, but I've not seen it, yet; and it may contain factual errors, but have not found any, yet. In the end YMMV.

Another Obama Revelation (or shall I say revolution)

Don't let Biden and others tell you what Obama meant when he told Joe the Plumber he wanted to "spread the wealth". Here's what he meant in his own words:

Can anyone with a brain listen to to this and still claim the Obama is not a socialist, at least economically?

Cold Feet Equals Hot Foot

I've heard of the groom (or bride) getting cold feet, but giving the hotel the hot foot, that's bizarre:

A Japanese man set fire to the hotel where he was due to get married at the weekend, rather than go through with the ceremony later the same day...Tatsuhiko Kawata, 39, had gone along with wedding plans despite already having a wife.

Then again, the thought of having two wifes might just do it for anyone. I love my DW, but having two; that'd be too much for me too.

Obama's Continued Dissimulation

I've written about this before, but a quote I read in an article from yesterday has energized me to revisit this issue. Previously I had examined his statements relative to his past actions. Today I'd like to compare his campaign rhetoric to his published issue positions.

Here's what the Obamanator said recently as reported in "Working for the Working Class Vote":

“I just want to be absolutely clear, O.K.? I just don’t want any misunderstanding when you all go home and you talk with your buddies, and they say, ‘Oh, he wants to take my gun away.’ You heard it here, and I’m on television, so everybody knows. I believe in the Second Amendment. I believe in people’s lawful right to bear arms. I will not take your shotgun away. I will not take your rifle away. I won’t take your handgun away.

Here is what his official issue position says on the same topic:

As president, Barack Obama would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts the ability of local law enforcement to access important gun trace information, and give police officers across the nation the tools they need to solve gun crimes and fight the illegal arms trade. Obama and Biden also favor commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners, while keeping guns away from children and from criminals who shouldn't have them. They support closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. They also support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent, as such weapons belong on foreign battlefields and not on our streets.

This is gun control bigger, better, more wonderful. A new AWB would be much more encompassing than the old one as its proponents have vowed to close the kind of loopholes that were in the old one. "Childproof" is an gun-ban code word for various proposed smart locks and individually coded interlocks that are fundamentally flawed in various ways. No such guns exist in the marketplace nor will they given their flaws. Closing the gun show loophole effectively means the end of private party sales driving up prices and enabling further gun control via dealer regulation.

His Tihart amendment position is flat out based on falsehood. Law enforcement does have access to all the gun trace information they need to trace guns used in crimes. What they, and this is primarily the BATF, do not have now is access to gun trace information for the purposes of harassing law abiding citizens, confiscation, dealer and manufacturer lawsuits and other anti-2A purposes.

I will grant that nothing in his position statement absolutely states that existing guns will be taken away from people, but making guns child-proof and reinstating the AWB would make the possession of certain guns illegal. The unanswered question is whether all of his gun control measures would contain grandfather clauses to "protect" existing owners. Without "grandfather" clauses his proposed legislation would make criminals of existing gun owners. I'm not willing to bet on that, particularly with regard to the AWB.

What is worse is what he does not say. According to his stated position American would no longer be able to buy many types of handguns, rifles and even shotguns that can currently be bought. People who have guns now likely would be able to keep them, but few new ones could be bought. Imagine a country where our children will be subject to a declining and increasing expensive number of firearms to protect themselves and their rights. And of course, criminals will always be able to get guns because they do not abide by the laws intended to restrict their acquisition of guns.

I continue to conclude that Obamarama is a liar in intent if not in letter. We've seen Joe The Plumber take him on regarding taxes. Now we need a Billy The Hunter to ask the same kind of hard question regarding the 2nd Amendment.

Call 9-Waa-Waa

From "Working for the Working-Class Vote":

“I am convinced that if there were no Fox News, I might be two or three points higher in the polls,” Obama told me. “If I were watching Fox News, I wouldn’t vote for me, right? Because the way I’m portrayed 24/7 is as a freak! I am the latte-sipping, New York Times-reading, Volvo-driving, no-gun-owning, effete, politically correct, arrogant liberal. Who wants somebody like that?

Call him a waambulance. The truth hurts don't it.

p.s. Here's some reports on the subject from various sources; the last one, from FoxNews is of course most interesting;

• Obama angry at FOX for tarnishing halo effect
• Obama: "If I Were Watching Fox News, I Wouldn't Vote For Me"
  
• Obama: Fox News to Blame for Elitist Perception
  
• Sen. Obama's Attack FOX Strategy: A Key to Victory?

Clueless, With a Capital "C"

From Curmudgeonly & Skeptical:

Good One NERepub!

Go here and read the story associated with this picture. It's short, to the point and quite humorous:

Beam Me Up Scotty!

Today's humor:

Sneak Peek #1 of Boston Legal: Dances with Wolves

Yes yes I know, the show actually makes the Shatner character into a caricature but this clip is still hilarious.

The Manchurian Candidate

Interesting interview.

Don't take this video, or media reports, or the verbal affirmations and denials at face value: Do some research and make up you own mind.

You can guess what I think.

UPDATE: Due to new info I've pretty much changed my mind. Details above.

Around the Blogsphere

From New England Republican:

FromThe Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiller:

Now, what might that professional, infinitely wise and knowledgeable journalist write to accompany such a photo? We’re glad you asked:

Hey, is that even the right way to hold a rifle? Can’t you shoot your foot off like that?

Just wondering.

From Curmudgeonly & Sceptical:

Steven M. Warshawsky in this American Thinker piece analyzes the polls in a straightforward and compelling manner. His conclusion comports with my own less analytical, but based on the historical record, conclusion that polling data are manipulated to give a desired result. The article is short but concise, so please do read it.

“

Moreover, the idea – implicit in the daily fluctuations of the polls – that large numbers of American voters are regularly switching back and forth between McCain and Obama makes no sense. Who knows any real people who are going through such mental and political gymnastics? In short, the polls do not show that Obama is "winning" the race, anymore than they show that McCain is "winning" the race. What they show is that the contest is very close, and will not be decided until election day -- when the American people actually go to the polls and cast their votes. For the reasons I've stated before, I predict that more votes will be cast for McCain than for Obama.

”

Is It Halloween Yet?

This,

Illinois: Three NP*-members won Democratic primaries last Spring and face off against Republican opponents on election day: Danny Davis (U.S. House), Barack Obama (State Senate) and Patricia Martin (Cook County Judiciary).

this,

New Party* member Barack Obama was uncontested for a State Senate seat from Chicago.

and this

Secondly, the NP's* '96 Political Program has been enormously successful with 3 of 4 endorsed candidates winning electoral primaries. All four candidates attended the NP membership meeting on April 11th to express their gratitude. Danny Davis, winner in the 7th Congressional District, invited NPers to join his Campaign Steering Committee. Patricia Martin, who won the race for Judge in 7th Subcircuit Court, explained that due to the NP she was able to network and get experienced advice from progressives like Davis. Barack Obama, victor in the 13th State Senate District, encouraged NPers to join in his task forces on Voter Education and Voter Registration.

All found via Politically Drunk on Power via No Looking Backwards.

Scary!

*NP = New Party = "a loose confederation of unions, socialists, communists, and black activists who shared common values, but often had different goals."

Should You Vote for Obama? NOT!

http://barackobamatest.com/

"You DISAGREED with the Barack Obama position on 48 of the 48 test questions. This means you disagree with the Obama position 100% of the time."

The Guileful, Duplicitous "Maestro"

I'm shocked I tell you, shocked!
Lawmaker Accused of Fannie Mae Conflict of Interest

Unqualified home buyers were not the only ones who benefitted from Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank’s efforts to deregulate Fannie Mae throughout the 1990s.

So did Frank’s partner, a Fannie Mae executive at the forefront of the agency’s push to relax lending restrictions.

Now that Fannie Mae is at the epicenter of a financial meltdown that threatens the U.S. economy, some are raising new questions about Frank's relationship with Herb Moses, who was Fannie’s assistant director for product initiatives. Moses worked at the government-sponsored enterprise from 1991 to 1998, while Frank was on the House Banking Committee, which had jurisdiction over Fannie.

He makes me sick.

CBS Hatchet Job

I finally got to see Sarah Has-em-Scared Palin's interview with Karie Couric via YouTube

I thought it was a rather poor interview by Katie Couric and CBS. Katie Couric was clearly trying to attack Senator McCain through Sarah Palin: Her repeating the same questions when they had already been answered made her partiality even more evident.

Also, the questions aired were clearly not the only ones asked as evidenced by the break in venue after the first question. I'm curious where the rest of the interview is and wondering whether CBS cherry-picked only the tough ones.

Even with all that I though Sarah Palin did pretty well. Her response about the American people not supporting the bailout package was downright prescient. She kept her poise pretty well in the face of a hostile, obdurate interniewer.

I only wish she had showed more "barracuda". She should have hit the first and last questions right back at the pitcher, hard. Something like this:

"There is no conflict of interest with Mr. Davis, he has no financial connection to Fannie or Freddie; and while we're discussing that point why not look at how much Fannie and Freddie have contributed directly to Senators Obama and Biden. I might suggest there is far more appearance of conflict of interest there than with Senator McCain or any of his staff."

and

"You've already pointed out one recent case, which is more than Senators Biden and Obama have. I would think that question would be better answered by your CBS researchers and fact-checkers. I don't have Senator McCain's entire 22 year Senatorial history memorized, as it is rather lengthly unlike Senator Obama's, but I'm sure your researchers can find other instances if they were so inclined.

And so the beat goes on.

Liars by the Dozen

Some much to blog on, so little time. If I have time I'll turn each of these titles into full-blown posts. Until then readers here (few as they may be) should be able to fill in the blanks themselves. These are all easy ones.

Barney Frank is a Liar
And Nancy Pelosi,
And Time

So is Barak Obama, again

And Bruce Wilson is too, as well as being a libeler.

McCain Pummels Obamarama

"Pundits: No clear-cut winner"
Given the bent of the LSM this tells me that McCain won. Personally I didn't watch because we watch very little TV and I've already made up my mind.

The quote that really got me was:

“I’d say a tie is a good thing for the guy who was behind.”

This was from Mr. Castellanos, a so-called Republican strategist, talking about Senator McCain. from what I can tell he appears to be a big government, friend-of-business centrist-left Republican. He's apparently advising McCain, after working on Big-Hair's failed campaign. With friends like that who needs enemies. Has-a-Brain needs to trim his gaggle of advisors.

+1 week ago McCain was in the lead according to the pundits and polls. A week later he is supposedly behind. Personally I think this is due to a combination of factors. First are the concerted efforts by the LSM to push their favorite son. This results in an inbred bias in all their polls and reporting.

The second factor I think is a shift that I believe has taken place in the financial sector. Traditionally big business and finance has been viewed as the domain of the Republican party. I believe that has changed as evidenced by the emergence of high profile hard-core Dhimmocrat supporters such Soros and Buffett. Hence I suspect a, maybe the, tipping factor in the fear and uncertainty that triggered the bank and mortgage crisis at this time was McCain's rise in the polls; a recognition that he could win and their favorite might lose. I have no proof per say, so you'll have to draw your own conclusions, but I do not believe much in coincidences.

More Obamanations

I don't normally listen to Rush but I found this report very interesting. (the audio can be found at the end of this post at Curmudgeonly & Skeptical). Here are some interesting quotes from Rush's report:

The president, in order to let everybody be heard, deferred to various Democrats, and every one of the Democrats -- Pelosi, Reid, Dodd, and Frank -- declined to speak and deferred to Obama. So Obama became the official Democrat spokesman in the meeting. This was to hype Obama's leadership and presidential aura and so forth. What happened next, the first thing out of Obama's mouth -- Paulson is in the meeting -- is he starts ripping the House Republican proposal and asks Paulson what he thinks of it...

It ended up with Obama essentially chairing the meeting, with the meeting falling apart. The president was described as "beleaguered," trying to regain control of the meeting. McCain didn't say hardly anything. Everybody was yelling and screaming in there. McCain did not. He said, "We've gotta put these differences aside, work together," you know, typical McCain...

You see, Obama did not defend the Democrat position on this. He led off with an attack on the Republican position, as though it was a shock and a surprise, under the auspices that this deal had already been agreed to...

So this whole meeting yesterday essentially was established to show off Obama's leadership skills and negotiating skills, and he blew it!

So, contrary to LameStream media reports and the Dhimmocrat leadership it was their boy, the Obamanator, who was responsible for the breakdown, not Has-a-brain McCain.

Do we want such an incompetent liar in charge of our country? I think not. Maybe he should stick to what he does best:

O-Tube

Two good YouTube clips:

John McCain v.s. Barack Obama

Veggie-Burger Hill

Truth Hurts

If you've been operating from a racially oriented world-view most of your life, which is what a "community organizer" does, it's going to come out in ugly ways. As Rush points out let the truth be known:

Mr. Obama's campaign is now trafficking in prejudice of its own making. And in doing so, it is playing with political dynamite. What kind of potential president would let his campaign knowingly extract two incomplete, out-of-context lines from two radio parodies and build a framework of hate around them in order to exploit racial tensions? The segregationists of the 1950s and 1960s were famous for such vile fear-mongering.

Here's the relevant part of the Spanish-language television commercial Mr. Obama is running in Hispanic communities:

"They want us to forget the insults we've put up with . . . the intolerance . . . they made us feel marginalized in this country we love so much."

Then the commercial flashes two quotes from me: ". . . stupid and unskilled Mexicans" and "You shut your mouth or you get out!"

And then a voice says,

"John McCain and his Republican friends have two faces. One that says lies just to get our vote . . . and another, even worse, that continues the policies of George Bush that put special interests ahead of working families. John McCain . . . more of the same old Republican tricks."

And this is not the first time. Obamarama has shown himself very willing to preemptively play the racial victim card in an attempt to use his skin color as a shield from legitimate criticism of his positions and behavior. Don't let this prevaricating dissimulator anywhere near the White House: Vote McCain/Palin.

See How They Run

Today's motivational poster:

Truth in Advertising

Here's some facts in case anyone is unclear about the Obama-spinmister:
OBAMA TRIED TO STALL GIS' IRAQ WITHDRAWAL

WHILE campaigning in public for a speedy withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Sen. Barack Obama has tried in private to persuade Iraqi leaders to delay an agreement on a draw-down of the American military presence.

Politically motivated hypocrite.

How Team Obama Pays Women

‘Now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day’s work,” Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama said August 28 in his convention acceptance speech...

On average, Obama’s female staffers earn just 83 cents for every dollar his male staffers make...

On average, according to these data, women in John McCain’s office make $1.04 for every dollar a man makes.

"Change"? Yea right. Change begins at home. How about putting some change where your mouth is Obamarama.

Records show McCain more bipartisan

Sen. John McCain's record of working with Democrats easily outstrips Sen. Barack Obama's efforts with Republicans, according to an analysis by The Washington Times of their legislative records.

The rise of Obama has and will mean more partisanship, not less. Is that the "change" people really want?

Today's Exercise in Logic

First there's this, from "It's race against time to save Ike stalwarts":

Only four deaths had been blamed on Ike so far: two in Texas and two in Louisiana.

Then this, from "Report: Metrolink Engineer Texting With Teen Moments Before Killer Commuter Crash":

a wreck that killed 25 people

And finally this "Van Carrying Cheerleaders Crashes Killing 2, Injuring 14"

Moral of the story: When evacuating from a hurricane do not take the train, and be real careful about vans too.

UPDATE: Sadly the Ike toll is up to 30, but even then more than half of those appear to have been in areas not under evacuation orders; I stand by my advice above.

Fact Checker Needed

Seeing as all the MSM fact-checkers are busy chasing after Sarah Has-em-Scared Palin, it is obvious they need more fact checkers to keep up with Josephine Biden. He clearly has an issue with truth. Check out the following video of him and see if you can identify the four definite lies and one probable lie in his speech:



Two minutes with Google will show that:

1. Joe Biden's father moved is family to Delaware to find work, not to escape from the fame shadow of the Caseys
2. Bob Casey Sr was 10 years older than Joe Biden, not 12
3. Bob Casey Jr is 18 years younger than Joe Biden, not 12
4. Joe Biden could not have know Bob Casey Jr in Scranton because his family moved to Delaware before Junior was born
5. Joe Biden is unlikely to have known much of Bob Casey Sr or made much of any political observations regarding him before Bob Casey went away to college when Joe Biden was 7 years old. He did not return to Scranton until after the Bidens had moved away

The sad thing is that Josephine could have told a very good story, made a connection to Bob Casey Jr and been truthful. Once a pathalogical liar, always a pathalogical liar.

Killer Independent Ad for McCain

If you don't get a tear with this you are inhuman:

Left Wing Democrat Infection

BDS, an delusional infection affecting much of the Dimmosocicrat leadership, rank and file: Obama might pursue criminal charges against Bush

Democratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden said yesterday that he and running mate Barack Obama could pursue criminal charges against the Bush administration if they are elected in November.

Oooo, people are really scared Josephine: Is that the best you can do? You've had your MSM donks waling away at Sarah Has-em-Scared Palin for almost 5 days and not a welt, bruise or scratch. You're dealing with a regular joe hockey mom who came out last night and smacked you and your simpering running mate around like chum at a shark-fest.

One small problem with your empty threats: "if", as in "if ... elected". Ain't going to happen. No way. And you can take that to your Delaware bank and smoke it.

Journalistic Creationism

The liberal MSM claim to be against creationism, but they're all for it when it comes to writing stories to attempt to create news that does not exist. What's worse is that they are doing so to attempt to effect a personally favorable political outcome contrary to the apparently emerging will of the majority of Americans. Two examples jumped out to me today.

First, is this attempt by Glen Johnson (AP) to create negative predictions for McCain's presidential run based on a single alleged and unattributed comment from anonymous "Romney ... friends and advisers": Romney readies for White House run if McCain fails. Disgusting.

Even more disgusting are the blatant attempts to create a "Republican strategy" by which Sarah Got-em-Scared Palin withdraws from the Republican ticket:

• GOP Omerta On Palin Withdrawal
• Sarah Palin Premature Withdrawal Watch
• Palin Likely to Withdraw as GOP VP Pick

This is orders of magnitude worse than the Harriet Meyers railroading. If this happens then I, and many other folks will be seriously angry with the MSM for causing it, but even more so with McCain for caving in. He will then absolutely lose the election regardless of who he picks. Jesus Christ as his running mate would not save him.

Sarah Palin's selection really has the libra-Dimma-socialists scared. Please stick with it McCain and Palin and shove the MSM's little power play back down their throat till they choke and pass out. Maybe when they wake up they'll get back to reporting and quite trying to create news.

McCain Hits a Home Run

A grand slam even, with his selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate. Her selection energizes the conservative party base, steals some Clintonista PUMAs, adds some experienced youth to the ticket,and plays wack-a-mole with Obamarama's post-convention media and polling bump. For those that cry she is inexperienced I would point out that she has years more executive and governing experience, infinitely so actually, than Obamarama and Loose-Lips together!

I hereby designate McCain with a new moniker. No longer will he be known as "Cheap Talk"; now I will refer to him as Has-a-Brain McCain.

I'm still working on a good name for Sarah Palin. This will do for the moment, but I'm sure a better one will emerge soon.

Finally, here's an inspiring video for the McCain/Palin ticket:

Josephine Biden

Joe Biden is like my in-law's dog. They got a lhasa apso named Josephine some years ago. Josephine is a stereotypical yap dog; all bark, no bite. The first time we saw them after they got the dog all she did was bark and growl at me, yet she would move away whenever I walked or moved in her direction. I tried to make friends, but no dice. After a few years of this I gave up. Now I ignore her while she yaps away until my in-laws get feed up and admonish her to stop or put her in her cage. May it be the same with Loose-Lips Biden. Cheap-Talk McCain should just ignore him. Eventually his yapping will annoy everyone and Obamarama will have to shut him up, if he can, or maybe throw him under the bus with his other former friends and supporters, although it might be a bit crowded under there.

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's to the Left We Go

Obama-rama has picked Loose-lips Biden for his VP. A safe, fill in the blanks, shore up the liberal base pick. Moderates must be fuming given that Biden is third in liberality in the Senate to Obama, the Clintonistas must be livid as Hitllary didn't even get a look, and the Republican "weather control machine" must be loading up with ammo from all of Biden's past mis-steps.

I'm feeling better about this year's election, pending "Cheap-Talk" McCain's VP pick of course.

Bentley Flames Out Snuffing Floridia Outpouring

I thought I had posted something about Todd Bentley and the "Florida Outpouring" (also known as the Lakeland Revival) a while back but looking back I could not find it. My DW and I did some serious looking into this and determined that it, like the Toronto Blessing and Brownsville Revival before it, had some very serious issues. I won't go into all the details here but the bottom line is this "revival" was all about rampant emotionalism and being the Todd Bently show with little of God to it.

Sadly, but not totally unexpectedly, I read today of Todd Bently's fall:
Evangelist Bentley stepping down

Todd Bentley will step down as head of Fresh Fire Ministries, after the ministry revealed he had an "unhealthy relationship" with a female staffer. That announcement comes one week after Bentley's ministry announced he and his wife were separating.

The referenced announcements are here and here.

I do pray that Todd really finds God through these difficulties, and learns that when you build your faith upon emotions it's those very same emotions that will bring you down.

Obama-ramians Whine Like a Bottle of Ripple

The Saddleback presidential candidates forum must have been an overwhelming win for "Cheap-Talk" McCain. If Obama-rama had done even half-competently the MSM would be trumpting his "victory" as if it were the second coming.

About the only talk I've heard since the forum is whining by Obama-ramians about how McCain must'a cheated because he had intelligent, well-thought out answers and their leader did not. To me this is further proof that Obama-rama and his fans have has much knowledge and understand of the competencies needed to run this country as an aborigine has with coke bottles and airplanes.

Obama-rama is a media marketing creation and the cracks continue to show. The question is, who's looking?

Blah, Blah, Blah

Scatterbrained people in the workplace drive me crazy! Not only do they get little done but they waste everybody's time, are a continual source of frustration, and drag overall productivity down. A pox on their collective houses.
Arrrggghhhhhhh!

That's all.

More Chinese Dissemulation

What is real about the Chinese Olympics (or anything else they do)?

Olympic opening uses girl’s voice, not face

One little girl had the looks. The other had the voice. So in a last-minute move demanded by one of China’s highest officials, the two were put together for the Olympic opening ceremony, with one lip-synching “Ode to the Motherland” over the other’s singing.

More questions about Chinese gymnasts' ages

Birth dates found in online documents have raised questions about the age of another Chinese gymnast -- bringing the total to three, or half the women's team expected to contend for a gold medal, who may be too young to compete in the Beijing Olympics.

Obama-rama On the Homosexual Agenda

Some quotes from Obama -- the pro-'gay' candidate:

He advocates the full repeal of DOMA...
He's talking about opening up the military to homosexuality in a time of war...
He's talking about 'gay' adoption -- putting children in homes that are intentionally fatherless or intentionally motherless, and using the White House bully pulpit to do that...
Obama responded to an inquiry from the pro-homosexual Family Equality Council, pledging in a letter [PDF] his support for "LGBT families" -- lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender. He also congratulated homosexual couples that have recently "married" in California and Massachusetts...
that makes Obama...the first presidential candidate to actually support homosexual marriage. When you're congratulating homosexuals for their supposed marriage, that's being for and celebrating homosexual marriage...

Please vote your conscience, but don't say you weren't warned.

2A Rights in Massachusetts

Another legislative season has come to a close in MA. Here's a summary of RKBA-related bills courtesy of GOAL (see this page for full details):

• Governor's Fee Increase - The Governor's proposal to increase firearm license fees was defeated thanks to the quick action of Rep. Denis Guyer in filing an amendment to remove the increased fees from the bill...
• SCOTUS Resolution - The senate decided not to take part in the resolution offered by Rep. George Peterson recognizing the Heller decision and so it was offered as a House resolution only. The resolution was amended to remove the references to Article XVII of the Massachusetts Constitution because the U.S. Supreme Court didn't rule on that matter. After being amended, the House voted 115 - 40 to approve the resolution! A very strong showing for the recognition of the Second Amendment Ruling.
• S.1401 - GOAL's version of the Katrina bill filed by Senator Richard Moore was passed in both the Senate and the House and is waiting final enactment prior to going to the Governor's desk. This final step can normally happen in an informal session and should be completed next week. Another great victory for lawful gunowners.
• H.3991 The Governor's Lawful Citizen's Imprisonment Act - Thanks to the efforts of our members contacting the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, the Governor's H.3991 bill never left the Committee and was thus defeated for the legislative session.

Overall well done, at least in not losing ground, and taking back a few hillocks. Hopefully with the Heller decision to build on more can be done in coming sessions.

Chinese Dissemulation

I'm shocked I tell you, shocked.
Some Opening Ceremony fireworks were faked

The faked fireworks were actually set-off at the stadium, but because of potential dangers in filming the display live from a helicopter, viewers at home were shown a pre-recorded, computer-generated shot. It sounds dishonest, but I'm not sure it's such a terrible thing.

"Sounds dishonest"? It is dishonest. Whether it's terrible depends upon whether you care or not about the honesty of the Chinese government.

Then there is this:
Beijing Scrambles to Host 'Green Games'

However, an American scientist, Steven Andrews, noticed that two monitoring stations were removed from locations where there is a high volume of traffic and three new ones were set up at locations where pollution levels are lower. Andrews also found out that the pollution standards were secretly lowered, that changes were made with regard to substances being measured, and that some substances, such as ozone, were simply not measured at all.

And this:
Beijing Olympics: British smog-monitoring unit ordered to close down

But on Friday, the day of the opening ceremony, the quarter of Beijing in which the Olympic Green is situated was coloured green on the map, marking an air pollution index (API) of 101-150. The government's safe limit is 100, and the city authorities' figures put the API at 95.

The reason for the "green" colour was high levels of particulates, known as PM10. Again, while the online map gave a fail for the Olympic Green, the figures for the nearest monitoring station in Beijing showed a pass.

Later on Friday afternoon, subscribers to the website received an email saying the site would no longer be visible by password.

"I am very sorry to have to let you know that at the request of our Chinese partners in this project we are unable to provide public access to the Beijing Air Quality forecasts during the Olympic Games period," the email said.

Clearly there is a history and pattern of dishonesty on the part of the Chinese government. Maybe it's not terrible, but we do need to recognize in dealing with them that if they lie about little things like pollution levels and fireworks to suit their goals how much more likely they are to lie about important things: Trust little, verify much.

USPS Idiots

Read this article in today's paper: Maine island loses mail delivery tradition

The U.S. Postal Service has ended a decades-old tradition in which mail was delivered to this small offshore island by a private ferry service and left in a specially marked trash can on the dock for recipients to pick up.

The "Postal Service higher-ups" who made this decision are idiots. They've lost sight of the purpose of the USPS which is, get this, to deliver the mail! Yea, yea, they claim it is a security issue but if they actually were interested in doing their job then they would come up with a way to continue service uninterrupted. Those banks of little mail boxes you see in many development these days can't be that expensive. Put a set up, then remove the trash can, not the other way around.

p.s. The person who complained also needs 30 lashes with a wet noodle. People need to think before they speak.

Sad Sabbath Experience

While traveling for business I attended a Messianic Congregation in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. I drove 2 hours to get there and found it one of the most enthusiastic yet self-absorbed churchs I have ever been to.

Never, until today, have I visited a church were a pastor or staff member did not make a point of trying to talk to me. And it's not like they did not have time. The senior rabbi walked right past where I was sitting to greet some former members sitting in the row behind me. Most church greeters make it a point to identify visitors, make them feel welcome and bring their presence to the attention of a staff member; not there.

Many people wished me a Shabbat Shalom but only three people actually introduced themselves. Clearly "Shabbat Shalom" had become a greeting as meaningful as the perfunctory "How ya doing" most of us give and get every day.

Every row had one or two visitor cards. I filled one out, but no one actually came to collect it. There was an oneg (pot-luck lunch) after the service, but I did not stay. I did not have any food to contribute and no one asked me stay. In fact, not a single person spoke to me after service.

The praise and worship part of the service was exciting and well done. People really got into the worship and dance. The Torah procession was like a conga line. Yet in some ways it seemed more like performance than worship. Half of the songs were canned music with words projected overhead and no worship leader. The other half were lead by a small praise band. The three ladies who fronted it were very good but did not really lead the congregation in singing. Some people clearly were singing, but nearly as much as I would have expected given the size of the congregation.

There was guest speaker who gave a short teaching from Jeremiah the main point of which was to call on the members of the congregation to share the hope they have in Jesus. It was a good teaching, but I'm not sure it really applied to that congregation. Had I been an unbeliever I would not have any interest in associating with those I saw today or sharing any "hope" they might have.

All that said, I did find a sense of the presence of the Lord: Obviously there were 2 or 3 gathered to really praise Him. I enjoyed the music for what it was and sang my praises to the Lord regardless the lack of leadership. I also found the teaching meaningful to me.

God Bless and Good Sabbath.

Presidential Election Polling Silliness

Poll: Obama leads McCain among people who don't have pets

Did this headline strike anyone else as really silly? Who cares whether Obamarama or Cheap-talk McCain has a dog or not?

Worse yet it reinforces the continued trivialization of American politics, that somehow whether a candidate has a pet or not is somehow important compared to their positions of issues of value or their past performance or what they might do in the future.

Maybe we need a president that keeps rattlesnakes and lizards, and handles them on a daily basis. That would at least be a useful experience for a politician these days...

How I spent the 4th

Actually most of the week was spent working on a new buck shed for the goats. Here's the progression:

First, I had to move the old 8'x8' shed out of the way by turning it 90 degrees and moving it ~20 feet to it's new temporary location. The skid-steer I rented was very helpful in skidding it around. It came through mostly intact.
Then, I had to build up a platform for the new shed with ~7 yards of stone dust to keep it from flooding out during heavy rains. This is the real reason I rented the skid steer, and what I spent the least amount of time using it for.

Finally came construction, starting with the base built from 4x4 and 1x8 pressure-treated lumber.

And this is how it ended up Sunday evening, framed out but with roofing, sheathing, doors, windows, etc. yet to be done.

Also, I used the skid steer to clean out a section of overgrown brush, and redistribute another 7 yards of crushed base on the driveway.

Of course on the 4th of July I had to do some kind of fireworks. This year it consisted of meeting +100 other people at the Shirley Rod and Gun Club for 4 hours of gun fun.
All in all a very enjoyable week.