Enough Already II

I'm noticing that the campaign has entered its last week, and folks are getting a little shrill.  This thing has been going on for well over a year now, and I'm tired of it.  If it weren't for the absolute, generational importance of this election I'd stay home on election day, but we've got things to take care of in Louisiana on the ballot next Tuesday, some statewide and local things that need attention, so I've got to go pull the lever.  It's a dead-set cinch that Romney is going to carry Louisiana  We aren't a battleground state, and haven't been since I can remember politics.

The most important statewide measure on the ballot is Amendment 2, which will strengthen the Louisiana Constitution regarding firearms ownership and use.  It will make firearms ownership a fundamental right and will require that any infringement on that right be subject to strict scrutiny in the courts.  This is a no-brainer, and I'll be voting YES on amendment 2. The amendment is projected to win easily and Louisiana will lead the way in gun rights, as it should.

Enough, Already.

Okay, I get it.  Y'all had a storm in New York.  Big whoop.  It's been two or three whole days in the news cycle, but the wind quit whipping early this morning.  By now y'all should have pumped out the tunnels at least and be well on your way to getting the electricity turned back on.  It's not like you've got to slog through a swamp.  Pretty much everything in New York is paved.  The trucks should be able to get in easily.

Get to work, quit whining, and start rebuilding.  That's what Louisianans and Floridians do after a storm.  Y'all had a little measly Cat 1 and I didn't even see that it spawned any tornadoes or anything.  The death toll is what?  About 30?  Sucks to be them, but that's not hardly enough to talk about.  Hell, Tuscaloosa lost more than that to a tornado last year.

I thought New Yorker's were tough.

Oregon in Play?

Today, reading the news, I stumbled across a poll that says that Obama hasn't gotten to 50% in solid-blue Oregon.

The newly released Oregonian poll has the presidential race at 47-41 for Obama, with 8% undecided and a 5% margin of error.  Says the paper:

Really! I can't imagine Oregon going for Romney, but in my experience the undecided vote generally goes heavily for a challenger. Obama's got all the votes he's going to get. With a good push, and a good GOTV effort, Oregon might turn red. A concerted Republican effort and the idea that Obama is going to win might be enough to convince Oregon Democrats to stay home.

I don't think that this race is as close as people think it is.  VodkaPundit describes it as an undertow election.  You can't see it on the surface, but the current underneath is a killer.

A wave election is something you can generally see coming, rising above the surface, crushing everything in its path. But an undertow election isn’t something you can see. It pulls underneath the surface with sudden strength, sucking away a base of support thought to be reliable, the ground evaporating underneath you as you claw to stay afloat. It’s maddening for campaigns when voters you had counted as baked in to your models decide they have something better to do on Tuesday. Bush experienced this because of a news story. The Obama campaign may be experiencing something similar now – which may explain their strategic flailing over the past few weeks.

That's what I'm seeing, and I'm not a pollster, nor am I a consultant. I've just got a feeling that Obama is lost in the weeds and is about to get his feelings hurt on Tuesday.

Wisdom from Tam

From Tam's place:

Meanwhile, I realize that this is a very large-diameter storm, but it's still a Category 1 with an eleven-foot storm surge. Don't Panic: I think in Florida they call that "September"

Yeah, Tam, but New Yorkers don't like September in Florida either.  But, thanks for putting that in perspective.

Sandy

It's Monday afternoon, and I understand that it's getting a little sporty up on the East coast.  Here's what the experts are saying.  Y'all be careful up there.

Democrat of the Year - Convicted of Theft

You can't make this stuff up.

The woman named “Democrat of The Year” this year by the Jefferson County Democratic Party has been convicted of felony theft by a Jefferson County jury for stealing from a developmentally disabled 71-year-old woman.

This is a metaphor for the entire Democratic Party. Stealing from the less fortunate, the innocent, the disabled. That's what Democrats do. Anyone who is still registered as a Democrat in this country should be ashamed of themselves.

Taco Soup

It's a quiet day here at PawPaw's House, we're taking our leisure in anticipation of a busy week.  This morning, Milady sent me to the grocers with a list for Taco Soup.  The whole recipe is here.  This is the perfect recipe for a lazy Sunday.  Quick and easy, the tone of the soup lends itself to cool autumn afternoons.

I serve mine over Frito's, garnished with a little sour cream and shredded cheese.  I'll soon be working on my second bowl, then I'll find my remote and spend most of the afternoon in my recliner.

Bloomberg pulls a Nagin

It looks like Hizzoner Mayor Bloomberg is not ordering an evacuation of NYC, although they are shutting down the subways.  Evidently, Mayor Bloomberg is trying to foster individual responsibility in the face of a natural disaster and individual responsibility is a good thing.

Mayor Bloomberg has affirmatively decided NOT to evacuate even the most low-lying areas of his vulnerable city, nor even to close the city government or schools Monday.

That's liable to jump up and bite him in the ass. However, my long experience with tropical storms and hurricanes in Louisiana is such that I don't need an elected official to tell me to do what needs to be done. Sometimes you ignore official prognostication and GET THE HELL OUT.  Of course, the subways may not be the smartest place to be in a hurricane.  If the electricity fails and a storm surge hits, you might be drowned like a rat in a hole.

It would be much better if everyone got into a bus and headed west.  Take a trip to Michigan, or Iowa, or even Los Angeles.  Stay three weeks until the lights come back on, the storm surge subsides, and the election is over.

Sandy

I've spent the weekend thus far in the woods and playing Halloween with family and friends.  I didn't even look at the computer yesterday.  With coffee this morning, I find Hurricane Sandy threatening the East Coast.  Landfall is still a couple of days out, but let's look at the Horror Graphic and see what the weather weenies are espousing.

That's an interesting track.  Considering that we're two or three days away from landfall, expect changes as things get worse on the coast.  What's interesting here is that a Cat 1 coming ashore in South Louisiana would be exciting, our coastline is sparsely settled as compared to the beaches and homefront construction on the East Coast.  Yeah, we've got a lot of folks in the way of any tropical storm, but not nearly as many as the huge cities on the East Coast.   Then too, we're a whole lot better at absorbing storm damage, mainly because we have lots of experience and know what to expect.

The current NOAA track shows it going ashore somewhere in Pennsylvania, with tropical storm wind probabilities extending from North Carolina to Maine.  That should tighten up some tomorrow, and while I've made quite a hobby second-guessing the weather weenies, my experience fails me in those latitudes.  With a storm that size, expect widespread destruction in coastal communities, lots of trees and power lines down,   Power outages, flooding, lots of interesting opportunities for people to do the right thing, or the wrong thing.

Remember, if you plan to evacuate, head west.  The western side of the storm is always better than the east side of the storm.  Of course in this case, heading east isn't much of a possibility.

Sunday Morning Dawg

I know that I missed last Sunday's Dawg posting, so today you get a two-fer.  You've all heard me speak of Guillory's Fine Meats, and one of the things I almost unfailingly get is a sack of cracklins.  Hard little fried pork skins that Southerners so affectionately love.  Recently, I stopped by Guillory's to buy some roasts for Italian Beef, and sure enough, I bought a sack of cracklins.

Here, the dog is begging Milady for a treat.

Milady successfully resisted, but not for long.  In just a few more seconds the dog had snagged a cracklin and was chewing for all he was worth.

Cracklins on an autumn afternoon.  Ain't nothing like it.

Employment

This chart speaks for itself as a percentage of Americans employed.  From the Bureau of Labor Statistics, via Instapundit.

This is what the election is all about.  Jobs.  Employment. This is important, folks.  Let's get it right.

Chain Saw

Two hours on a chain saw and almost a rick of firewood in the back of the pickup, it's been a good morning.  Momma had some oak trees cut in the spring.  They were close to the barn and she wanted them dropped professionally, so she told the contractor to leave the wood that would make good firewood.  They piled it up inn 6-foot sections behind the barn and it's laid there since that day.  I let the logs dictate where I cut, so some of it is long, some of it is short.  I didn't get nearly all of it, there's still a sizable pile laying on the ground.  However, at my advanced age and decrepitude, one tank of gasoline is all I feel like running through that chainsaw.

It's all destined for the deer camp.  The firebox on our camp stove is short, so the short wood will be split for cooking, the longer pieces will go into the general fire-ring pile for use on those cold mornings when we want a fire after the hunt.

Momma's got a handicap ramp on the side of her house and she said that she's noticed a little cottontail rabbit living under there.  We discussed it and decided that the rabbit has a lot of sense.  It's close under there so the coyotes can't get to him, it's got overhead cover so that the rain won't bother him, and he's not bothering a thing under that ramp, so we'll leave him alone.

In another hour I'll get a shower, scrap my face, and head in to work.  It felt good to be running a chainsaw this morning.  That firewood will feel good later this year.

Deer Stand

You know the drill.  You prepare, get ready, scout the woods, try to determine where the deer will be.  Then you set up your stand and wait for opening morning.  Then, when you walk to your stand, you realize that....  Well, I'll let him tell you about it.

I did all my prep-work . . .

I scouted the area all summer. . .

I searched out the best location for my tree-stand . . ...

I set it all up a month ahead of time . . .

I trailed the herd . . .

I picked out a trophy buck .. ..

Two days before opening day I rechecked every aspect of the hunt . ..

Everything was in place . . ..

Sunday morning, I woke up at 2 am . .. .

I put on my camo, loaded my pack, set out for my stand . . .

This was destined to be an epic hunt . . ..

As I approached my deer stand . . 

 Some days it just don't pay to get out of bed.

Mistaken Identity

Sometimes, identifying the body isn't as easy as some people might think.

BRASILIA, Brazil — A 41-year-old car washer from northeastern Brazil shocked his family by turning up at his own wake after his family mistakenly identified a murdered local man at the morgue as him, local media reported Tuesday.

Yeah, that would be a mite uncomfortable, walking into the funeral parlor while you're family is mourning your passing.

Family and friends in the town of Alagoinhas in Bahia state were gathered around the body of another car washer resembling Gilberto Araujo when he showed up after being told of his "death" by a friend who had spotted him in the street.

Car washing must be a hell of a job in Brazil.  I wonder who the corpse in the coffin was?

Monday Night Dawg

No pictures, but the dog fell into the pool tonight.  Milady and I were on the back patio, enjoying an after dinner aperitif when we heard a splash and had to go fish the dog out of the pool.  He had a mis-step and wound up swimming toward the shallow end.

To say that he's embarrassed is an understatement.  He's ripping around the house now, trying to forget his evening swim.  I've fallen in the pool myself and know how embarrassing it is.  Tough on the dog.  I'll remind him frequently.

I asked Milady if I should get the camera and throw him back into the pool to commemorate the event, but she demurred.  Go figure.

Mulligan Stew

It's been a while since I talked about Mulligan Stew, and today it flung a craving on me.  This is a hearty campfire stew from my younger days, taught to me by my Dad and my Uncle Eddie, who would whip up a Mulligan anytime we were in the woods on a cool night.

The whole recipe is here, but it's a simple, easy stew that even boys can make with just a little coaching.  Basically, you peel and dice six potatoes, brown a pound of bacon, then set it aside to drain.  Add some flour to the bacon grease to make a peanut-butter roux, then add water, potatoes, and the crumbled bacon. Salt and pepper to taste. Let it simmer until the potatoes are tender. Stir it often, the potatoes want to stick. You can  serve it over rice or bread.  Either one works fine.

It's a great little recipe, either for the campfire or for the homestead.  Cheap, filling, and very savory.  Mulligan stew.  It's what's for supper.

FOWARD

Spelling is hard.  Obama supporters wear FOWARD tee shirts at a rally with Biden.  Seriously.

They're desperate, I tell you.  Desperate.  And illiterate.

Beating these bozos should be easy.

Dirt

Dirt, soil, it's all in how you look at it.  Sometimes it's dirt, sometimes it's soil.  Sometimes, it's a fashion accessory.  Here, grandson Luke shows us how it's done.

We expect a kid to get dirty when he's wearing his rubber boots.

Saturday

A football game, a general brawl between the teams after the game, a car parked in front of a critical gate, two pissed off administrators, supervisors on the cell phone, but everyone went home safe.  By law enforcement standards, when you go home safe you've had a good day.  So, after eighteen hours I had a good day.  Went home, fell into bed, was awakened by leg cramps and hobbled around the house.

Coffee this morning, then we're off to Jena for a mini reunion of Milady's family. Then I come home this afternoon, grab a quick nap and go back to the school to work the homecoming dance.  We'll be through with homecoming week and the next couple of weeks should  be fairly uneventful.  The game last night dashed ANY hopes the team has of making the playoffs, and honestly, they don't deserve to be in the playoffs.  We should have won that game last night.

In a long career, I've never worked a general brawl between two football teams.  So. last night was a first.  I hope that I never have to do a repeat.  There is some weird psychology in group dynamics that make people crazy when they're in a group.  I detest rowdiness, and the testosterone-fueled environment of a football field, protective padding, and hurt feelings after a devastating loss are all extenuators of mayhem.  I'm glad I had five stout deputies to assist me.  It was nearly not enough.  I was within seconds of calling for a paddy wagon and putting every adult on the field in jail.  There is no excuse for brawling after a football game.

Miracle

Jerome Scott, my friend from the earlier posting, has made it thus far, and the doctors are heartened at his progress.  They expected him to sleep from two to four days, to be "out of it", but today he's off the ventilator, is awake and alert, and receiving visitors.  The doc told his wife that of those patients with that much damage that even make it to the operating room, 90% die on the table.  Jerome is of course, doing lots better than can be expected.  I just came from the hospital where I talked to Jerome's dad, hugged Jerome's wife, and visited with Jerome's Paw-in-law.  The docs expect to move him to a ward hopefully tomorrow, where he'll stay for 7-10 days.  If I know Jerome, it'll be less than a week.  Then, he'll go back to aggravating his wife and everyone around him.

I'd like to thank everyone for the prayers.  I know that lots of folks were praying for him from several churches, from desks and jobs, and pickup trucks all over this nation.  Jerome's doing well, thank God, and I'd like to pass along my thanks to all of you who thought of him and lifted up prayers today.

Y'all Pray

Y'all pray for Jerome Scott, a dear friend of mine.  He blew an aorta last night and frankly, I'm surprised that they got him to the hospital before he bled out.  Jerome is one of these type-A personality guys.  He's an elected official, an auctioneer, and always has a project going.  He got out of surgery today about 1:00 and the doctors said that with the damage they found, only about 10% of people make it as far as Jerome has made it.  They moved him to ICU where he'll be for 2-4 days.  If he makes it though ICU he'll get to a ward.

Prayers, please.  It matters to me.

Gallup

Today's Gallup Poll, running a seven-day rolling average of likely voters shows Mitt Romney over Barack Obama by seven points, 51%-45%.  This is good news, but it's too early to get cocky.  The only poll that matters is the one they'll count on November 6th.

Filet

I stopped by Guillory's on the way home and bought a couple of little filets to put on the grill.  For small tasks I use a large George Foreman grill that Milady picked up at the auction.  There are times that I want to build a fire, make some smoke, but there are other times when all I want is a hot piece of metal the Foreman grill does that just fine.

Guillory is an old-fashioned butcher shop, where you walk up to the counter and tell him what you want.  They get the meat from the back and cut it to specs.  I bet if I told him I wanted a 3" ribeye, he'd cut it for me without hesitation.  Tonight, all I wanted was a couple of little 1" filets.  I also asked him to season them for me.  He uses some secret spices and puts it on as a rub when requested.

Those are about 8 oz filets, seasoned, and put on a hot grid.  A couple of baked potatoes and I'm done.  Milady likes hers medium rare.  I prefer mine more toward medium.

Guillory's prices are better than the local grocers, they cut the meat in-house, and they're a local outfit.  They make great tasso, good boudin, and their sausage is excellent.  If you're ever on Highway 28 East in Pineville, stop in and let Guillory cut you a steak.  I really like the ribeye's, but a 1" ribeye averages a pound. That's too much meat for me, so I've gotten happy with the filet.  Next time, I might try their sirloin.

Whoo!, it's good.

Tuesday Blahs

Not much going on today, so I go to the polls, where we see that the Romney team is making ground against the Obamunists.  Gallup today shows Romney 50%, Obama 46% among likely voters.  The two are tied at 47 for registered voters.  I saw a poll earlier today where Romney is leading among rural voters in the swing states, and that he's even in position to take Pennsylvania. All these are good signs of a fundamental shift in the election, and it's time for Obama to play catch-up.  The only problem is that he's never had to play catch-up and isn't sure what he's doing, or how he's supposed to do it.

Tonight is the second Presidential Debate and as long as Romney doesn't screw the pooch, it should be great.  A bigger game-changer would be for Obama to totally blow it (hey!, it's happened before) with the electorate looking hard at him.  IT'll be fun to watch the numbers climb over the weekend.  Still, we can't get cocky.

Simply keep up the pressure, keep spreading the message, and November 7th will be plenty of time to celebrate.  That'll give Moochelle time to find new digs before January.  Maybe she and the kids can spend Christmas in Hawaii, getting settled in to the new house.

In other news, I picked up a couple of little filets from the meat market.  In another hour, I'll clean the grill, then, when Milady gets home, we'll bake some potatoes.  Nothing too heavy, just a little 8-oz filet and a baked potato.

Structural Shift

It seems that there is a structural shift in the election, based on lots of things, but primarily measured after the first debate.  Even Democratic pollsters are noticing it. From Hot Air:

“In every poll, we’ve seen a major surge among women in favorability for Romney” since his strong performance in the first debate, veteran Democratic pollster Celinda Lake says. “Women went into the debate actively disliking Romney, and they came out thinking he might understand their lives and might be able to get something done for them.”… Now, the USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows Romney leading Obama 51%-46% among likely voters in the swing states. Men who are likely voters back him 54%-42%. The states are Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin…

We need to keep up the pressure.  Of course, threatening to riot is counter-productive, so we'll let the Obama-nuts make that threat.I'd rather whip him by 5% in every swing state and win it with over 300 electoral votes.

Let's not get cocky, but let's keep up the pressure.

Coming Apart

I see that the supporters of the Lightworker are continuing to threaten to riot if Obama loses his government job.  Good for them.  Rioting is good for your neighborhoods.   It decreases your property values to zero.  Examples of what people are saying follows:

“If obama dont get re-elected & romney wins .. on life every white persons getting pistol whipped and im startin a riot.” (SOURCE)

“If Obama don’t win lets start a riot so Romney know what he’s getting himself into.” (SOURCE)

“You know you ain’t shit if you gotta “MAKE” Mafukas vote for ROMNEY ! …. Mannnn OBAMA better get back in office . Or BLACK FOLKS will riot.” (SOURCE)

“If Romney wins im goin on a rampage.” (SOURCE)

“If Mitt Romney wins the election I think its our duties as Black folks to riot and fuck shit up.” (SOURCE)

“If every action IS met with an equal and opposite reaction ..what should workers do to employers if Romney’s elected? #Riot in the streets!!” (SOURCE)

“If Romney becomes president let’s all start a riot.” (SOURCE)

“I Heard Mitt Romney , Tryna Take Away Food Stamps , If He Do .”IMA START A RIOT , IMA START A RIOT.” (SOURCE)

“If romney wins, imma start a mf’n riot! Rns.” (SOURCE)

I also see that women are turning away for the Lightworker.  He's losing his support among thinking individuals, which means virtually everyone except the folks threatening to riot.

The Obama campaign is existing on sips of hope and breaths of stale air.  His time is well and truly passed.  Threatening to riot is an example of how low his supporters have become, how jaded their interests, how slaoow their arguments.  It's sad that it's come to this.

Record Set

Baumgartner did it.  Highest parachute jump in history.  Set the new record.

Congratulations.

Lantern Batteries

We've all seen the big 6-volt lantern battery, and I use a few of them every year, mainly to power my deer feeders.  Several months ago Milady came home with an urban legend that a lantern battery is filled with AA batteries.  I went to Snopes and debunked it.  Then told her to tell her buddies that they were full of crap.

Today after lunch, I had the grandkids helping me put a new motor on a feeder and my son determined to disassemble an old dead lantern battery.  He'd heard the legend too, and decided to disassemble a standard Duracell lantern battery to find out what's inside it.  What do you think?  D-cell batteries.  Four of them.  No kidding.

Yeah, really.  Inside that lantern battery we found four D cell batteries, some internal wiring and some cardboard insulation.    Here's a better close-up of the D cells inside the battery.

I've got a couple of D cell battery packs.  Now I have to decide if it's cheaper to buy D cell batteries, or to buy one lantern battery.  Turns out, the lantern battery is full of D cells.

Ships Afloat

Both ships afloat, but at least one career in jeopardy.

 The Pentagon said late Saturday that it is investigating why a Navy submarine collided with an Aegis cruiser off the East Coast.

I'd guess that the Navy looks unfavorably on their warships banging together.  Some officer of the deck, along with his skipper, is probably in deep do-do.

Sunday Morning Dawg

Regardless of how many hours I work in a week, I've still got to make sure that the dog gets his share of sunlight and exercise.  Luckily, he likes being outside and the weather we've been having lately is perfect for a hirsute dog.

That dog really needs a haircut.  We'll try to get to that this week.

Electoral Tie

The Washington Examiner takes a look at possible scenarios that might result in a 269-269 tie in the electoral college.  As we all know, it takes 270 to win, so with a tie  the Presidential election would be thrown into the House of Representatives.  The Senate would elect the Vice-President.

I can see the House electing Romney, but who would the Senate elect?  Biden?  Harry Reed?  Hillary Clinton?  It would be a crap shoot for sure.  The Dream Ticket would be for the House to elect Romney and the Senate to elect Obama.  Not only is that result constitutional, it is plausible.  I can recall a number of Vice  Presidents that were not only well liked in the White House, they were mostly shunned.  Many were scape-goated.  I think that President Obama would make a perfect Vice-President to President Romney.  He could be both shunned, scape-goated, and eventually indicted for felonies committed while he was the President.

Oh, and the riots.  It would be a dream scenario.

Change

There's an interesting electoral map over at Real Clear Politics.  It shows the race is changing based on the debate performances, the Libya debacle, the tone of the race, and the economy.  In short, based on the totality of Obama's performance over the past four years.  RCP is only willing to call eight states as Obama locks.  California, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Delaware, Maryland, and Hawaii.  They show Obama having only 201 electoral votes in the Locked, Likely, or Leans column.

There area a whole bunch of toss-up states on this map, and it's vastly different from maps I've seen before last week.  Many other polls show Romney drawing even with or surpassing Obama, and there is still three weeks left before the election.

Now's the time for grass roots politics.  Talk to your neighbors, your family, your co-workers.  Get one hundred people to the polls.  They don't all have to vote for Romney, but they should all vote against Obama.  We need to put this pretender in the unemployment lines.

Testimony

Testifying in Court today, there were two retired troopers and me, once retired and back in harness.  The judge took a recess and came back in chuckling, then ordered his bailiff to ask our attorney the question the bailiff asked in chambers. The bailiff sheepishly got to his feet. "I only asked "Where did he get all those retired officers?"

Our attorney rose to his feet.  "For the record, your honor, I found them all playing dominos down at the old folks home."  The courtroom erupted in laughter, as did the Judge.

And, to complete the record, we kicked their ass.  Never discount eighty years of experience when you're dissecting an accident report.

Details

A Detail, in police jargon, is a very temporary assignment outside of your normal job description.  Normally on a detail, we're tasked with providing a law enforcement presence at an event, or hired by a private concern to assist in a task where a law-enforcement presence is desired.

I've been a cop for thirty years and I've worked a lot of details.  I'm a cop, a very good cop with long experience and a deep understanding of my job.  I'm not "security".  If you need security at an event, you're doing it all wrong, and there are private security companies that will provide contracts at great expense to provide "security" for your event.  That ain't me.  I am the Police.  I know my job, and it isn't standing at a door making sure that everyone has a ticket.  If you need ticket-takers, hire ticket-takers.  That ain't me.  If someone sneaks in and you want him arrested for trespassing, I'll do that, but I'm not your ticket-taker.

Some folks think that because I'm just standing quietly against a wall that I'm available for other tasks.  Not so.  Last night for example, several of my brethren were talking before the event.  We were near a service area filled with folding chairs, discussing how best to handle the situations of the evening, when up walked this officious looking lady.  "We need somebody to set up fifty chairs."

I reached over to the rack of chairs.  "Let me help you." I said.  I took a chair, unfolded it, and set it on the ground.  "Do it just like that, fifty times."

She looked at me, stunned.  "You mean that you're not going to help?"

"That's right, ma'am.  I was sent here to provide a law enforcement presence.  You're not paying me, so I don't work for you.  If you want someone arrested, we'll be glad to help.  If you want a disturbance quelled, we're the folks.  We'll be polite and sociable, and we'll try to make sure everyone has a good time.  But setting up chairs?  Not likely."

She didn't speak to me the rest of the night.  That's a good thing.

Let There Be Monuments

Reading the news earlier today, I had a Red Curtain of Blood moment, when my eyes clouded and my rage filled my eyes.  It seems that the Taliban is targeting school girls and actually targeted one in particular who has decided to stand for female rights in a country where women are chattel.

MINGORA, Pakistan – A Taliban gunman walked up to a bus taking children home from school in Pakistan's volatile Swat Valley on Tuesday and shot and wounded a 14-year-old activist known for championing the education of girls and publicizing atrocities committed by the Taliban, officials said.

A fourteen year old school girl, the Taliban can't stand to hear the truth about women, so they're shooting school girls.  This is the same Taliban that we routed in 2001 and that we're told is knocked back on their heels, in danger of extinction, but not nearly extinct enough.  The same Taliban (and Al-Queda) that we're told is defeated.  It seems that government stance is a lie.  CBS Corresondent Laura Logan reports:

The lie is that America’s military might has tamed the Taliban. …

“There is this narrative coming out of Washington for the last two years,” Logan said. It is driven in part by “Taliban apologists,” who claim “they are just the poor moderate, gentler, kinder Taliban,” she added sarcastically. “It’s such nonsense!”

Logan stepped way out of the “objective,” journalistic role. The audience was riveted as she told of plowing through reams of documents, and interviewing John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan; Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and a Taliban commander trained by al-Qaida. The Taliban and al-Qaida are teaming up and recruiting new terrorists to do us deadly harm, she reports. She made a passionate case that our government is downplaying the strength of our enemies in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as a rationale of getting us out of the longest war. We have been lulled into believing that the perils are in the past: “You’re not listening to what the people who are fighting you say about this fight. In your arrogance, you think you write the script.”

In my view, we should be building monuments to the Taliban, and Al-Queda as Jerry Pournelle recommended at the beginning of this war.

Nablus. Gaza. Baghdad. Damascus. There shall be monuments, perpetual, large enough to be seen from the air, from space: monuments of desolation in each of those cities. A million square feet; let the company commanders measure each building before flattening it.

Let it be recorded. And let salt be sown where those places stood. Let their refugees go where they will. And if that requires the Army fight its way into those places, then the devil take the hindmost. We have no lack of volunteers.

When that is done, Kabul, since they decline to deliver bin Laden or his head. That will be more difficult because it is harder to get to.

Begin by laying bare their air defenses. Leave them naked to air attack. These are acts against military targets, legitimate targets of war. Next drop leaflets mapping that part of Kabul that has been chosen for our monument. Twenty four hours later, begin its construction. We will have to open iron bomb factories, we may have to build new heavy bombers. So be it. The monument will be built. It will not be completed until we ritually sow salt on the site, while the population of Kabul stands at a distance and does not interfere.

I think Libya needs to contribute a monument site as well. There may be other places. Tehran now appears to be a candidate.

Our President is lying to us about winning the war. It's not over. Go read all the links above. There is only one way to win this, and that is by total destruction of our enemies. Follow them into their lairs, lay waste to them, and hound them until they die.  When we're finished, no one will dare strike us again.

Targeting school children, indeed.

Long Week

I got to school this morning and started getting hit up for extra-curricular activities.  As it turns out I have to work late Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and most of the day Saturday.  If y'all don't see much blogging happening, it's because I'm in my boots and standing watch.

I'll check in when I can, but don't count on much.

I do see that Pew has Romney up by four points over our President.  Rasmussen is calling it a horse race.  Gallup also says they are even.  This is getting interesting, and I still believe that Romney is going to win it in a walk.  It's going to be an interesting week in politics.

Y'all try to entertain yourselves while I work over 60 hours this week.

Raccoons

I see that raccoons are invading New York City.

They are getting more brazen on Washington Avenue, rummaging through trash, and running right up to neighbors. One even went face-to-face with Barbara Mattocks on her own front stoop. “I don’t want that feeling ever again. I was petrified,” Mattocks said.

Heh! The residents don't know how to deal with raccoons.

It’s gotten so bad, one 3-year-old Maltese named ‘Snowball,’ who used to love to play outside, is now a prisoner in his own home, according to his owner.

I don't know what to tell those fools, but raccoons aren't that bad. They respond well to axe-handles and baseball bats. And, they're good to eat. If you've never tried barbequed coon, you have missed a culinary treat. They're fatty like pork and respond well to the same treatment.  Recipes abound.  Imagine the next dinner party, when your guests ask about the piece de resistance.  "Oh, that?" you respond.  "That's a raccoon we killed on our front stoop.  He was rummaging through the garbage can and I killed it with a cricket bat.  Try it with the yams, they're excellent."

You'd be the toast of the town.

Talents

We were all challenged to show our talents by our pastor, and my son showed his by designing and erecting a new church sign.  Made completely of steel, it should last until long after I'm gone.  Additionally, it is easily disassembled for painting and maintenance.

I think that's a great looking sign, don't you?  Here's another photo with the designer.

Well done, son!

Sunday Morning Dawg

I found the dog's ball and we played chase-the-ball, till he decided that he's had enough and wouldn't bring me the ball.  He's still got it with him, but he won't let me get any closer than a half-room away from him.

Every time I get close, he picks up the ball and leaves the area.

Poor ol' California

I feel bad for the motorists in California.  Drudge leads with a headline saying that the prices there have set a new record in that state.  It's part and parcel of what our President promised us and so far he's been true to that promise if none of the others.

I can't spend too much time worrying about California motorists, though.  Their own elected officials have implemented policies that caused this artificial shortage and the resultant high prices.  It's their own damned fault.  If Cali voters had any sense at all, they'd fire the Democrats running the place and return to the freedom loving, individualistic place that it used to be.  I'd love to see California go for Romney next month to send a message to the officials there.  That ain't gonna happen and they made their bed, let them sleep in it.

Here in freedom loving Louisiana, a state that understands the petroleum business, I paid $3.43 for a gallon of unleaded this morning.  It wasn't real unleaded gasoline, it was that ethanol crap, and I lay the blame for that on the Federal regulators.

LSU at Florida

Florida just kicked off to LSU.  This is a very important game amongst the family because we have both LSU and Florida fans.  The outcome of this game every year is the cause of much mirth, and decides which colors one of the grandkids will wear this year.  It's a great afternoon for college football.

UPDATE:  What a revolting development.  Florida wins, 14-6.  Looks like the kid wears Florida shirts this year.

Weather

I had to go to the lease this morning to take care of a few last-minute details, like getting the red wasps out of the deer stand, sweeping the stand out, and putting another bag of corn in the feeder.  While I was hooking up the trailer to load the Mule, I felt the wind change and get noticeably cooler.  Much cooler than a simple tee shirt would indicate.  Before I left, I put a jacket in the car and the thermometer in my pickup truck told me that the temperature was 63F, cooler than we've experienced yet this year.

Driving toward the lease, I heard two weather reports that told me that we'd be getting a cool front later today.  I believe that the weather-weenies had taped that weather report because that front is moving faster than they anticipated, to the tune of about twelve hours.  That jacket felt good at the lease this morning while I did my chores and I kept it on until I got back in the truck to head home.

Accuweather tells me that the front will get here later today.

Unless I'm sadly mistaken, and the thermometer on the porch has quit working, that front has already arrived.  Tonight might be a good time to make a pot of chili.

Friday Nite

I've spent the day watching security camera footage, which is closely akin to watching paint dry. Some teacher claims her I-Pad was stolen and I've been trying to find out who stole it. Of course, she did nothing to secure the device and has no apps to help locate it.

She's distraught and I understand that, so I've been trying to help. If there is anything more soul-crushing than watching security camera tapes, I've yet to find it. It's like boredom crossed with drudgery in low definition. Still, I did my job, and gave them an extra hour. My brain feels like it's been filled with sand.

I came home, poured a stiff shot of whiskey, and now Milady and myself are headed to the auction. I doubt I'll buy anything but a sandwich for supper. Yet, there might be a treasure there, so my hopes are optimistic. I have to remember that I've been drinking whiskey before I start bidding. Just another day in the life of a school-house cop. The football team is going to take their ass-whipping in another town, so I don't have to work the game. I'm off tonight.

Gasoline in California

It looks like gasoline supplies in California are at an all-time low.  Why is that?  Simple.  California has some weird requirements for gasoline and the refineries have to switch over from summer blend to winter blend.  That takes time.

California’s summer-blend fuel requirements are in effect in Southern California until Oct. 31. The Reid Vapor Pressure, or RVP, limits are lifted in other areas of the state as early as Sept. 30. The state Air Resources Board and Energy Commission are evaluating fuel supplies and haven’t decided on the waiver, Dave Clegern, a spokesman for the air board in Sacramento, said by e- mail.

Of course, if they'd start pumping their own petroleum out of the ground and open a few more refineries, this might not happen, but right now, parts of California are out of gasoline. That's what happens when you let government tell you what you can sell.

Romney by a Knockout

In case you've been living under a rock, it looks like Mitt Romney won the debate last night, by a knockout. You can go to Instapundit for a number of links, but the best is by James Taranto, who quotes Jeffrey Lord, saying:

Barack Obama has been so totally coddled by the liberal media that he looked absolutely shell-shocked in this debate. Stunned, unhappy, angry, sour--and at some points genuinely incoherent.

Taranto had some of his own goodness, talking about Chris Matthews meltdown after the debate.

About the private reaction of Obama's wife, of course, we can only speculate. But many of his lovers went public with their devastation: "I don't know what he was doing out there," wailed Chris Matthews. "He had his head down, he was enduring the debate rather than fighting it." One expected Matthews to burst into song: "The thrill is gone baby / The thrill is gone away / You know you done me wrong baby / And you'll be sorry Election Day."

Evidently, it was a bitter defeat for the Democrats. This race ain't over by a long shot and Mitt Romney looked presidential last night. Probably the best quote of the night goes to liberal comedian Bill Maher, who tweeted: Obama made a lot of great points tonight. Unfortunately, most of them were for Romney

This race isn't over by a long shot.  I stand by my prediction that Romney will win the electoral college with over 300 votes.

Wednesday Wanderings

I understand that there is a presidential debate tonight, but I'm going to watch Ghost Hunters instead.  That's probably a metaphor for something, but I'm not in the mood to figure it out.  If Romney would come on stage and tell the world that he intends to be a one-term president; that he won't run for office while in office and that he's got the business acumen to make the hard decisions to put the country back on the right track, he'd win in a landslide.  He won't do that.

The top cop in Detroit is suspended from his job after having had an affair with a subordinate.  She found out that she'd been supplanted by a newer squeeze and decided to go all Facebook on him, putting a picture on the interwebs with her gun in her mouth.

As a gunny, I can't really tell, but I believe that's a Smith and Wesson M&P.  It looks a lot like the gun I carry every day, to include the night sights and all the little machining on the back of the slide.  Her career is pretty much over, as is his.  One old sheriff told us a long time ago, "Boys, that badge can get you a lot of women, but it doesn't take but one woman to get your badge."  Good advice for all the young cops out there.  If you are single and you ever see this chick on your contact list, don't take her out.  She's crazier than a shit-house rat.

It looks like Syria and Turkey are engaging in good old-fashioned artillery duels.  Evidently, Syria lobbed some mortar shells across the border, and Turkey retaliated with long guns.  More at WaPo.

That's enough for a Wednesday, I guess.  I've got a big jambalaya on the stove and I best tend to it.

Huff Post Playing the Race Card

Look for more of this as we get closer to the election.  Writer (and English prof) Stephanie Li writes at the Huffington Post that Mitt Romney might be the whitest man to run for the Presidency.

But the leaked video reveals something more pernicious: his utter blindness to his own privilege. For decades, scholars in the field of critical race theory have demonstrated how "whiteness" is not a universal standard but instead a specific social identity built upon unearned entitlements. Romney's whiteness is most flagrant not in the remarkable privilege he enjoyed, but in his denial of how his race has fundamentally influenced his life's trajectory

Oh, so Mitt Romney is a white guy. We knew that. Then the perfesser gets into crucial race theory:

The Romney's shortsightedness on this issue demonstrates their ignorance of one of the central ideas in the field of critical race studies, the unearned privileges accorded to whiteness. In her foundational essay, "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack," Peggy McIntosh likens whiteness to "an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools and blank checks."

Ha! Really? No one's ever given me a blank check, or a code book.

The academes are distressed that we might un-do the historical black president and elect a white guy.  I thought that they were supposed to be blind to race, but it turns out that they are some of the most racist people available.  Critical Race Theory, indeed.

Cartel Boss had Fast and Furious Weapons

Hot Air is reporting on an update to the Mexican drug cartel problem.  You might remember that Fast and Furious, the illegal scheme of Eric Holder to run guns to Mexican drug cartels so that he could help his buddy and boss, President Obama, trace guns into Mexico so that they could inflict new, stringent gun regulations on us.  Well, it turns out that the Mexican government knew just how far those guns got.

When Mexican authorities took Juarez drug cartel carnage king Jose Antonio Acosta Hernandez — better known as “El Diego” — into custody, he had weapons from Operation Fast and Furious on his person, the English-language transcript of the Spanish-language television network Univision’s special investigation into the scandal shows.

He had Fast and Furious guns on his person. Interesting. We know now how high in the cartels the guns got. All the way to the top. The Univision reporter is asking hard questions and maybe soon the Mexican government will start asking hard questions.

The Univision reporter says at the end that “the United States government has many things that they ought to make public.” Unfortunately, this administration is still hiding Fast & Furious evidence and witnesses from Congressional investigators via a bogus executive privilege claim.

I'd think that the Mexican government might like to subpoena Eric Holder and have him extradited to Mexico to answer questions.  As soon as we fire his boss, even if President Obama gives him a pardon for that string of felonies, I doubt that the Mexican government would be so forgiving.  Eric Holder might get to see what the inside of a Mexican prison looks like and that would be poetic justice.

I see that another Border Patrol agent has been gunned down in Arizona.  I wonder where those guns came from?  Holder has blood on his hands.

Skin In the Game

If it's going to matter to you, you've got to have skin in the game.  It doesn't matter if you're playing sandlot baseball, or if we're talking about income taxes.

Glenn Reynolds has a great little opinion piece at USA Today where he lays out some conservative ideas for tax reform.  I agree with most of what he says, and I think that this is something that we should be talking about.  If everyone had to pay some federal income tax, even a minimal amount like 2%-5%, then they'd have skin in the game.  It really doesn't matter how much or how little a person pays, what matters is that they're participating.  He's also got another great idea, tying federal tax levels to federal spending.

I'd like to see a system where everyone pays some minimum amount of tax — enough to notice, say 2%-5% of gross income. And that amount should go up noticeably when the federal government spends more, and go down noticeably when it spends less.

In a given year, that might only affect some individuals by a few hundred dollars, but as anyone who has followed local-government property tax fights knows, people can get pretty exercised over a few hundred dollars when they know it's coming out of their pocket and not someone else's.

I'd also like to close the government service-private sector loophole. If someone is appointed or elected to a federal position, then after they leave government service everything they make over $125,000 should be taxed at a 100% rate for five years. That would stop folks from parlaying government service into lucrative private sector jobs.

We really need to talk about some sort of plan like this.