"SO?" You Say?

"So?"

What do you mean "So?" Over 4000 loyal American troops have died, and you say "So?"

Dick Cheney is truly a DickHead!

Dick Cheney:Two-Thirds Of The American Public Opposing The Iraq War: ‘So?’

On the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion (March 19th, 2008), ABC’s Good Morning America aired an interview with Vice President Cheney on the war. During the segment, Cheney flatly told White House correspondent Martha Raddatz that he doesn’t care about the American public’s views on the war:

CHENEY: On the security front, I think there’s a general consensus that we’ve made major progress, that the surge has worked. That’s been a major success.

RADDATZ: Two-third of Americans say it’s not worth fighting.

CHENEY: So?

RADDATZ So? You don’t care what the American people think?

CHENEY: No. I think you cannot be blown off course by the fluctuations in the public opinion polls.


View it on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SypeZjeOrY4


Full interview on ABC News site:

http://www.abcnews.go.com/WN/Vote2008/story?id=4481249&page=1


"Intelligent" (?) quotes by Dick(head) Cheney:

http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/stupidquotes/a/cheneyquotes.htm


How did we ever elect these uncaring, stupid idiots into office? Thank God, there is only 296 more days until the new administration takes office . . . no matter who it may be!

Election Results - Prediction

With the Democrats bickering amongst themselves, I think that many voters are beginning to question the viability of either candidate. I suspect the election math will be as shown below.

4,000 Lives - God Bless Them All!

I am at a loss for words to express my sorrow for the Heroes who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their Country.

What more can I say?

HE LIED!

Punxsutawney Phil

Phil's official forecast as read 2/2/08 at sunrise at Gobbler's Knob:

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

On Gobbler's Knob on this fabulous Groundhog Day, February 2nd, 2008
Punxsutawney Phil, the Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators,
Rose to the call of President Bill Cooper and greeted his handlers, Ben Hughes and John Griffiths.

After casting a weather eye toward thousands of his faithful followers, Phil consulted with President Cooper and directed him to the appropriate scroll, which proclaimed:

"As I look around me, a bright sky I see, and a shadow beside me. Six more weeks of winter it will be!"

Well, Phil, YOU WERE WRONG! Six weeks of winter ended March 15th. Here it is Easter - March 23, and WE STILL HAVE SNOW, and a forecast of more snow to come!

As it is with all climatological prognosticators . . . . there are no consequences when you are wrong.

PHOOEY!

I Can't Wait!

Family

I thought I'd take this opportunity to publicly state what a wonderful family of which I am a part.

My wife is my soulmate, my best friend, the Love of My Life; and she truly keeps me on my toes. We are consistently on the same wavelength.

My daughter is a delight, and she has grown up to be much smarter than I was at her age. I am confident that she will be a success.

My two stepsons are a thrill to be with. I consider them to be more friends than stepsons. When we get together, along with my daughter, it is nothing short of comedic chaos!

Both of my parents are deceased, and I appreciate the upbringing they provided to me and my sister. Thanks, Mom and Dad (I got my sense of humor from him, and inherited his ability to collect things = packrat. I got the gift of gab from her).

My Mother-In-Law is a Gem! I love her dearly. She also keeps me toeing the line ,

The Sisters and Brothers-In-Law can only be described as the ideal relatives that everyone would want in their family.

My Uncle and my cousins are geographically distant (much to my great dismay), and I haven't had the opportunity to really get to know them as I would like.

To summarize, I want to thank The Good Lord above for allowing me to experience the relationship that I have with them all.

God Bless Us!

I couldn't have said it better . . . .

The ANSWER Coalition responds to Pres. Bush on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war.

Website: http://www.answercoalition.org/
Email: info@internationalanswer.org

President Bush says the war on Iraq was "worth it," in spite of the "loss of life and treasure." So speaks a man who has unflinchingly destroyed human life and caused suffering on a massive and criminal scale.

Iraq was "at peace" when Bush ordered a war of aggression aimed at toppling a sovereign government. One out of every three Iraqis is now either killed, wounded, or a refugee.

To Bush it is "worth it" to have caused over 1.3 million Iraqis to die as a result of the war (a figure from the Oxford Research Bureau, whose most recent study excluded two of Iraq's most violent provinces). The number of Iraqis wounded has been conservatively estimated to be double that number.

To Bush it is "worth it" to have forced 2.5 million Iraqis to flee their own country and live in refugee camps in Syria or Jordan. Two million have been made internal refugees as a result of war and ethnic cleansing. All Iraqis today live in fear.

To Bush it is worth it to have plunged the lives and status of Iraqi women to its lowest base.

To Bush, the neoconservatives and the military high command, it is "worth it" to have sent nearly 4,000 US soldiers and marines to their graves and to condemn tens of thousands more to live with devastating and debilitating wounds and injuries.

Iraq posed no threat to the people of the United States when it was brutally invaded.

This was a war to dominate not only Iraq, but a strategic and oil-rich region.

Bush arrogantly assumed powers that did not belong to him or any other president. Conducting an unprovoked war of aggression against a sovereign country is a violation of international and U.S. law. It is a criminal act, and those who have committed this crime should be held accountable.

Presidents Kennedy and Johnson said the war in Vietnam was "worth it," in spite of the loss of "life" and "treasure." The Iraq war, like the war in Vietnam, can only be understood as "worth it," if the priority is to seek domination, conquest, and empire.

All around the world today, people are in the streets accusing Bush of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes against peace. In the recent years, the ANSWER Coalition has helped organize millions of people who have engaged in protest in Washington, DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, Chicago, and other cities around the United States.

While Bush is personally responsible for the criminal war in Iraq, we recognize that the Democratic Party in Congress has rubber-stamped the war and occupation, and continues lethal funding. The Democratic Party leadership is equally committed to the domination of the oil-rich region known as the Middle East, and in creating proxy puppet governments to safeguard U.S. corporate and banking interests in the region.

We reject every excuse and pretext to maintain the illegal occupation of Iraq. The people of Iraq must have self-determination, which is nothing but a farce when a country is occupied by more than 200,000 soldiers and marines, and highly-armed mercenaries working for the Pentagon. All U.S. military forces should leave Iraq immediately, and without condition, so that Iraq can retake its position as a free, independent, and sovereign nation. Iraq should be paid reparations by the invaders and occupiers.

History will remember George W. Bush and Dick Cheney as two of the great criminals, who attempted to impose their will through military means at the start of the 21st century.

"As Seen on TV"

Why is it that some TV commercials have the 'spokesperson' HOLLERING and SCREAMING at us?

Do they think that we will hear their message better?

Frankly, it is sooooo annoying that I tune them out. And, I am insulted that they seem to think that I won't understand what they are selling unless they YELL IT OUT.

I just chalk it up to their stupidity to think that their audience consists of dimwits.

Hey, I'm getting a 'rebate' - Thanks for the note!

After all the buzz in the media telling us over and over that "King George" and OUR EMPLOYEES in Congress are giving us a 'tax rebate,' the IRS has spent an extravagant amount of money, sending out notices telling us we are getting a 'rebate.'

DUH, I think we already knew that.

Gee, instead of spending the money on this foolhardy effort, couldn't it be spent on something else . . . . . like research into a cure for (name disease), or an alternative fuel, or a pay raise for our troops?

What a concept, huh?

Email issues from AT&T

After three calls recently to AT&T/Yahoo, I was unable to get any resolution to my issue of having Mozilla Thunderbird retrieve my messages. "I'm sorry, but we don't support that program."
Yeah, they want you to use their web-based mail program, Yahoo Mail, which they do support.

So after spending several hours of my own time, I was able to discover a solution - which worked. If the support people in India ("AMERICAN" Telephone and Telegraph = AT&T) had researched the issue, they too would have figured it out.

Darn, these monopolies! I thought the 'great breakup' of Ma Bell was supposed to fix this problem?

Well, I got my revenge on them. Last night, I received a phone call from their 'quality control' folks asking about how satisfied I was with my recent interaction. OH YEAH! Unfortunately my answers did not quite fall into the categories I was prompted with, and she sounded a bit perturbed (Ah, sweet revenge). Not that they will take any action on my single negative response.

So, there! Don't trifle with the "Cranky Old Guy" and expect flowery phrases of appreciation.

By the way, the emails are STILL COMING, and the advice of what to do in the emails is incorrect - according to the lackey overseas.

232 Days / 309 Days - New President!

Who am I going to vote for President?

Only 232 days until Election Day, and 309 days until "King George" will be out of office (and out of our hair).

Our choices, as of today are: John McCain (R), Barack Obama (D), Hillary Clinton (D), and Ralph Nader (?).

McCain is a Vietnam Vet as myself, which gives us something in common. However I disagree with his support of the "War on Terror." Obama is an eloquent politician who represents his constituents in Illinois very well, but I don't think he is experienced enough (yet) to be the 'leader of the free world.' Clinton is truly a politician in every sense of the word (and has been planning a career in politics since before she married Bill), but I'm not completely comfortable with her - call it a 'gut' feeling. Nader is an obvious 'spoiler' and could be considered the 'lesser of all other evils.'

Drat, I hate having this feeling that I don't have confidence in any of the potential candidates to run our country.

Am I going to have to make my choice by tossing a quarter (Heads or Tails), "Eeeny Meeny Miney Moe," or blindly pointing at a name?

Bullfeathers and Horsepuckey! I'm stymied. Pat Paulsen, where are you when I need you?

TV Reporters waving 'documents'

It finally dawned on me why TV reporters wave reams of paper at the news camera during their reports . . . . they are attempting to prove that they DIDN'T get their information from THE NEWSPAPER.

The joke in the print newsroom is when they hear TV news say, "We've just learned . . . ," they suspect the broadcasters just got their copy of the latest edition of the newspaper.

Personally (and I keep ranting about this) I don't care where you got the information. Stop wasting time telling me you did your job, just give me the FACTS, darn it!

BusinessWeek article about Hyundai Auto

"My Way or the Highway at Hyundai" is the name of an article in the March 17th issue of BusinessWeek magazine.

My wife and I own two Hyundai autos, both new in 2001. We have been extremely pleased with them. The warranty and the quality of the vehicles is what sold us over buying a car manufactured by one of the 'big 3' in the U.S. We haven't been disappointed.

However, after reading this article, I am seriously reconsidering any future purchase of a car made by Hyundai.

The Korean manufacturer has been firing all the American management. Hey, if you want to do business in the U.S., then by golly HIRE AMERICAN! If not, then GET OUT! Too many jobs have been lost to non-citizens.

If you want to read the article in entirety, check it out at:

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_11/b4075048450463.htm?chan=search

Tell me what you think. Am I off-base here?

AT&T Yahoo emails - Part Two

UPDATE:

I'm STILL getting the Damn things!

Nuts versus Chocolate

For most of my life, I've had an aversion to nuts (the edible kind). I wondered why this was.

Here are the facts:

I must have been about three or four years old when this incident occurred. It was most likely a Saturday or Sunday morning, following an evening out for my parents.

To an adult It would have been apparent that my Dad 'had a good time' the previous evening.

He was paying homage to the 'porcelain Buddha' quite extensively. As a child, this incident created a reaction of curiosity.

So I asked my Mother, "What is wrong with Daddy?" Now my Mother didn't want to tell me that my Father had too much to drink the night before. No, she decided to be creative. She said, "Daddy ate too many peanuts."

Ever since that day I have had a mental block against peanuts and peanut butter. I'll eat candy bars (some) with nuts in them, but anything else, NO WAY.

A few years back, I asked my Mother why I didn't like peanuts, and she told me the story.

I looked at her and asked, "Why didn't you say he ate too much chocolate?"

That would have been a much healthier answer!

Toyota Prius - WOW!

I had the chance to drive one of these vehicles the other day for the first time. I am impressed! It's roomy, responsive, comfortable and efficient. The best part is that IT IS A HYBRID!

I couldn't feel the difference as to when it was operating with the gas engine or the electric motor. It was responsive when I needed it to be, even at highway speeds.

Since it is pothole season, I deliberately tested it on the 'pothole course' (Michigan roads) and it rode very well. Consumer Reports magazine tested it with the fuel economy rated at 44 mpg.

Now, if I can latch onto a 'previously owned' model . . . . .

Check it out at their website:

http://www.toyota.com/prius-hybrid/index.html

Should You Buy An Extended Warranty?

My personal feeling is that you should pass on spending the money to extend the warranty on any product. If it is manufactured well with quality parts by a quality label, there is no reason to voluntarily GIVE MONEY AWAY.

DON'T DO IT!

Check out this article in the February 10th issue of Parade magazine:

http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2008/edition_02-10-2008/Extended_Warranty

AT&T Help Center - Can't Help!

I called these folks regarding an email I received, shown here:

I have been receiving several of these messages recently, despite the fact that I had implemented their suggested changes MONTHS AGO!

I was beginning to suspect that this was a scam, a spoof, and that I should ignore this communique completely. However, just to be sure, I called AT&T Help to verify the authenticity.
NO ONE could say whether it was from them, or if it was, how to stop receiving them (despite having implementing the changes). I asked what I should do - the (outsourced, with an accent) person replied there was nothing I could do. I asked for the supervisor, got the same response. I asked for a phone number to call regarding this and received the following response, "I cannot give you a number to call."

So, I can expect to continue to receive this annoying message on a regular basis, along with the other 250+ daily pieces of email I get.

Ah, yes; how wonderful it is to have tech support outsourced from a company called AMERICAN Telephone and Telegraph.